A Handsome Mistake
by TheStendanExperience
Summary: There's a surrogate family member in the Forman home, surrounded with lies and secrecy. Thank you to nannygirl(Prissy) for the wonderful cover art!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: _**That '70s Show**_ is an American television period sitcom that centers on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976, to December 31, 1979. It debuted on the Fox television network, first airing on August 1998, running for eight consecutive seasons, and concluding with the 200th episode on May 18, 2006. Plus, if I did own T7S I would have had Hyde/Jackie together and if not them, then Eric/Jackie.

Setting: The fictionalized town of Point Place, Wisconsin.

Spoilers: S1-some of S8.

Note:

-Some of the things that happened in S8 still happened. However, it will get tricky. Btw, F/J never happened. K/J, E/D, and H/J happened, not F/J. Never will I ever have those two together.

-Hyde and Sam are still married.

-infidelity

-There will be flashbacks.

-Keep in mind, Eric spent most of '78-79 lazing about until that conversation that made him realized he liked teaching.

* * *

"I'm so glad to see you, Jackie," Katherine 'Kitty' Forman threw her motherly arms around the raven-haired teenager that she had come to regard as a surrogate daughter.

"Now Kitty, don't smother the girl," Reginald 'Red' Forman sighed exasperatedly at his easy excitable wife. He wouldn't admit it, but he had been worried about the Loud One. She had left in the middle of the night, only to call the next day saying her aunt from Jack Burkhart's side of the family was pregnant and called her for help.

"So Jackie, tell me all about the trip you were on," Jackie grinned as Kitty, ever the mother hen, let her inside the warm house. She took off her coat, gloves, and hat, unbraiding her now long raven hair that reached down to her waist, before sitting on the couch. Jackie sat down next to her only parental figures, her smile faltering slightly.

"Oh, it was…sweet," Jackie said with a shrug and Kitty laughed. Jackie hesitated. Red saw her hesitation and said, "What is it?"

Jackie bit her lip nervously, trying to think, "You see my aunt didn't want the baby. She is just like the rest of my family," Jackie could see that Red had sympathy in his eyes and Kitty was starting to have unshed tears. She went on, "And well, she gave me her son to take care of. It was either I take him or let him be adopted to God knows who."

_Kitty already has made up her mind_, Red thought. He had a pretty good idea what she was going to suggest and quite frankly, he actually agreed. Just then Kitty looked at her husband to see if he agreed. Red nodded his head in agreement.

Jackie saw the interaction and knew they were on the same page. Before Kitty could say anything, Red interrupted, "Where is Eric? Wasn't he the one who picked up and your nephew up?"

Jackie nodded her head, "Yes sir! He-" Before she could finish telling them where Eric was and what he was doing, in he came with a baby in his arms, looking down at the infant in wonder. Jackie peeked into the kitchen door was still swinging, she sighed in relief as she saw the car seat on the kitchen table.

Kitty flitted to her only son and snatched the baby from him, immediately she started cooing at the baby and went into her maternal role.

"Look Red!" Kitty seemed to have floated to Red, "Isn't he just precious?" Red couldn't help but nod his head and as always got to business.

"Okay look, Jackie," Red addressed Jackie, "We know you live with Bob, but seeing as Kitty is a nurse and Eric just got back from Africa and is still looking for a job for the time being, you'll be living here and in Laurie's room since all of us are up there. No questions or buts."

No one but Jackie noticed that Eric was keeping an eye on the infant in his cooing mother's arms.

Her attention was snapped back when Red yelled, "UNDERSTAND!" apparently he had been trying to get her and Eric's attention. They nodded in unison.

Red turned and pointed to his son with his index finger, "You'll help Jackie get the things she _needs, not wants _into your sister's room."

"Alright. Jackie doesn't he need a warmed up bottle soon," Eric asked Jackie, in an oddly domineering voice that his parents never heard from him before.

"Yeah. Eric, could you-"

"I can't. I have to start moving your things into Laurie's old room. Wait, don't Hyde and Sam use that room," Eric asked. Red shook his head in a negative fashion.

"Nope. The dumbass and his stripper wife moved back into the basement," seeing Eric and Jackie's eyes widen, he added for Jackie's benefit, "Don't worry. We just cleaned the room thoroughly while Eric went to stay there with you for the week."

"Okay good." With that she went to the kitchen to warm up a bottle.

"Give him to me, Mom," as he took the baby from his Mom's arms and tucked him into his arms safely. Just then Jackie came back out and went to get him from Eric, only to be surprised when Eric snatched the bottle from her. Eric gently brushed the tip of the bottle against the tiny baby's pink mouth, and instinctively, without opening his eyes, the infant took the nipple of the bottle into his mouth and began slowly suckling.

"How old is he and what is his name," Kitty asked Jackie, with Red looking down at Eric feeding the boy in his arms.

Jackie was hesitant and noticed that Eric froze up, waiting to see her response. With a deep breath, she told the three in the room, "He is a week old and his name is Luke." Eric swung his head to Jackie so swiftly that she feared he got whiplash.

"How's the feeding going?" Kitty asked as she returned to Eric's side.

"He was hungry," Eric responded, his hazel eyes that were frequently green was soft as he watched the baby drink up his bottle.

"Where is everyone," Jackie asked Red and Kitty as she sat beside Eric.

"They went to Chicago to see the Kettlehead family for the weekend," Red retorted. Eric snickered, while Jackie smiled softly.

"Red!"

"You finished, Sonny Boy?" Eric asked in a surprisingly soft voice, feeling that the bottle was at its end. At that, Luke finally opened his large hazel eyes and looked right up at Eric.

Jackie clutched her throat with her right hand as she tried to swallow down a golf ball sized lump. Eric gasped in amazement. They hadn't heard Red griping about dinner and Kitty ushering Red into the kitchen to feed him.

Eric noticed that Luke was starting to fall asleep. He smiled a soft smile, and then said, "Bring him up into my room, while I assemble his crib in Laurie's room." Jackie nodded as she watched Eric wrap Luke in the light blue blanket and handed him to her. He stood up from the couch and helped Jackie up.

He reached in his pocket and held out a baby monitor to her, "I have the other one in the kitchen. It's turned on," and with that Jackie went upstairs into Eric's room and Eric went into the kitchen, turned on the baby monitor, placed it by his Mom, and told his parents where Jackie was with the baby. He noticed his Dad finishing telling Bob everything, then helped Eric get the crib from the Vista Cruiser.

* * *

**Please review. I love knowing what people think and what ways I could improve on. **

**Read & Review! :) **

***pouts***

**Pwease?!**

**~Nim**


	2. A Long Reflection

**Disclaimer: See first chapter. **

**Note:**

**-I took liberities with the secluded house for pregnant teens and the baby monitors. I am not sure if they were around back then.**

**Keep in mind that I am nervous about this chapter. I had to do a drunken scene and well...yeah, it is my first time writing one. **

**Be gentle!**

* * *

Eric could pin when it actually happened as he stared at Luke. He was in awe over the little guy who was currently sleeping in his crib right next to Jackie.

It was eight months ago when...

_Flashback -July/1979._

_Eric was sitting on the basement couch watching Gilligan's Island, once again when he heard a slamming of a door and someone crying. He knew who was crying before he saw the person. _

_Sure enough, Jackie ran down into the basement and flung herself onto the couch. Eric never saw her crying of this magnitude. Yes, he had seen her fake cry and actually crying, but it was never with this heart-wrenching sound. _

_He ignored her feeling awkward. He was not good at comforting people when they cried. He had the tendency to stick his foot in his mouth on normal occasions, but it was worse when someone was crying. _

_After ignoring her for five minutes, he knew he had to be there for her. He was her friend, albeit one that burned her a lot, but still her friend nonetheless. If he had a problem with her, he would have told her a long time ago to stop coming to his house or his basement. _

_It wasn't just that, but they had gotten closer as friend, when they realized they weren't that different from one another. Then there was that other thing that happened when she was with Kelso. _

_He scooted over to where she was and awkwardly, yet gently pulled her to him, "What's wrong," he asked concernedly._

_"Steven," was all she said. That was all she had to say for Eric to understand. He knew Hyde and Jackie have been having their problems and were currently broken up, yet Jackie was still hoping Hyde would go with her to Chicago or ask her to stay. _

_If he were to be honest, he and Hyde were on the same page, if they thought they were holding their girlfriends back, they would let them go. He was doing it to Donna and Hyde was doing to Jackie. _

_There was also the fact that both brothers thought their girlfriends were out of their league. _

_"Maybe you can talk to him," Eric stated, "He may be stubborn, but he loves you. He thinks he's holding you back."_

_Jackie lifted her head and looked at Eric with red, puffy eyes, "Eric, that's the thing. He never wants to actually talk things out. He-he," she paused to wipe snot off her upper lip, "He never wants to talk our problems out. He is like a wall. I'm not dumb, ya know?" Eric nodded._

_"You know the problem is that you're too fond of Kelso, I mean you practically let him get away with shit. Like the uhh..what was it...oh the pink sweater. You wore it Jackie. That had to bother Hyde knowing you wore something that Kelso got you for your birthday and not even wear his Zeppelin shirt," he finished off, while rubbing circles on her back. It seemed it was soothing her. _

_She nodded, while digging herself further into his embrace, "And I know that. One of the many things I want to so badly clear up. I realize that Michael was more of an infatuation and only stayed with him because I thought I needed him. I care for him deeply, but I love Steven." _

_He continued to rub circles, "Yeah, well I am sure he'll do the right thing. While you're having that problem, Donna and me are having problems. Honestly, it's been starting since Midge left her and Bob. She has never been a hypocritical person, but with Midge leaving, she gets mad at me for the simplest of things then when she does something that irks the fuck out of me, she expects me to be understanding.I-I think I am starting to fall out of love with her." _

_Jackie snorted, "She does and is. Like the time you went to that thing with her and your parents. You two were broken up and you got a girl's number on your hand and she licked it off or rather smeared it? Then Casey Kelso comes along, which by the way I am sorry for doing that to you, rubs him in your face and excepts you to be cool with it."_

_Eric got up all of a sudden and grabbed a pack of beer that was hidden behind the shower curtain and gave one to Jackie and one for him. _

_After drinking for two hours, they were drunk and sentimental and had no clue where everyone was. Surely, someone would be in the Forman home, but it just seemed to be them. Oddly enough, they could still speak properly; it was their emotions that were of wack. _

_"But Eric," Jackie's lip trembled as her brown eyes became watery, "Is that the reason you want to go to Africa?" She raised her head to look at Eric's friendly and dazed, drunken gaze._

_"Somewhat," he shrugged, "I...I mean...I wanna teach, ya know, Jackie...but I need to get away from all of this," Eric swung both of his arms around the basement, "I mean...Red is right...I am not mature yet and I need to be. Can't have Mommy smothering me all my life."_

_"I am gunna miss you," she slurred as she nestled into Eric, "Are ya going to miss me?" Now they were starting to slur, which was surprising since Jackie rarely drank and should have started slurring on her third beer._

_Hazel met brown as Eric replied in a soft husky voice, "Yeah, I am. And our past..."_

_Sobriety hit them both all of a sudden, Jackie gasped, and "I thought we weren't going to talk about that. You said we should never talk it ever."_

_Eric sighed, "I did. And I meant it," Jackie was still breathing heavily due to the shock, "But, I am leaving soon." He stopped to look at Jackie, once again with lust in his eyes. Old lust from long ago. _

_"One last time," he asked, as he rubbed his thumb on Jackie's cheek, feeling her sweaty, flushed cheek, "Please?" _

_Brown eyes gazed at him, remembering all they spent together in secret with no one being none the wiser what was actually happening between the compassionate scrawny nerd boy and the fragile cheerleader. _

_They were both sentimentally drunk and they hadn't had sex in some time with their respective partners. Jackie remembered Eric's other side that no one saw, not even Donna. Definitely not Donna. _

_Jackie__'s face crumpled slightly at his words and she leaned forward to capture his lips again. "I need you too," she whispered before kissing him twice more. "So please...don't go..." She gripped at his neck. "I...please be careful. I can't lose you __too__."_

_Eric shook his head making their lips brush together. "You're not gonna lose me, Jackie. I'm here. I'm here." He clutched her wrists in his hands and placed them onto his chest, over his pounding heart. "Feel me, Jackie, I'm here."_

_"I know," Jackie replied with a voice that cracked. "I know." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him in a way that set Eric's skin alight. "Show me one more time," she pleaded with labored breaths as she kissed his sweat, flushed cheek. "Be with me."_

_Eric moaned into her mouth as their tongues touched, and pushed her onto her back; every inch of their bodies touching._

_"Anything," he gasped as he kissed her back, "Just you and me."_

_He moved his hands down her body, sliding his palms over her delicious curves, and gripped the elastic of her shorts. Jackie instinctively lifted her hips so that he could pull them down and, once they were off, he threw them across the room._

_Jackie sat up then and pulled off her own t-shirt. She groaned Eric's name when, faster than she thought possible, he once again began to feel her breasts with hungry kisses and bites. He couldn't help that it. Jackie let him feel like a man. She let him actually dominate her. Something that his long time on and off, red-haired girlfriend never did._

_Her small tits were fucking stunning. Her nipples still reacted so quickly to him, puckering under his finger tips: tight and eager._

_The urgent urgency between them was diluted now, but the wanton desire that they had for each other was still very much there as Jackie fumbled with the buttons on Eric's fly. He helped her, with his mouth still attached to her right nipple, and shook them off as best as he could._

_He kicked them off of the couch before dropping heavily between Jackie's thighs. He grunted as his dick rubbed her stomach and sighed when her hands gripped at his hair. _

_Eric's mouth moved to Jackie's soft throat while he held himself up on the couch with his palms by her waist, gradually moving down the center of her body. He was so fucking eager to taste her between her legs. He wanted her on his tongue: hot, wet and fruity. He dipped it first into her belly button making her back arch, but he was stopped from going any further by her firm hands on his biceps._

_"No," she panted as her large brown eyes looked down at him. "I need you here." She pulled at him to move back up to her and wrapped her legs around his waist when he did._

_"I'm here," Eric repeated as he kissed her and knotted his hands harshly into her hair and yanked her head back to meet his once again. Their tongues danced and their bodies rubbed together creating a gritty friction. Eric groaned at the feel of Jackie's stubbed nails as they scored his back and left red marks down his back. In response, he swiveled his hips in impatience._

_"Please," she begged. "Eric, please be inside of me. Fuck me."_

_"Fuck," he growled into her neck as he grabbed hold of his dick and placed his dick at the center of her pussy. "Here, Jackie?" he asked as he pressed the head to her pussy. She was wet, she always was whenever they fucked in the past. _

_"Is this where you want me?"_

_The heels of her feet dug into his ass. "__Yes__."_

_Gripping the armrest above her head while staring into her eyes and holding his breath, Eric brutally pushed into her tight cunt._

_Fuck, her and Hyde must've not been doing it, he randomly thought. __Oh, holy shit.__ She was still fucking sublime _

_He could barely think straight as she enveloped him so entirely._

_"__Fuuuck__, Jackie," he groaned as his forehead met hers and his breath swept across her face._

_"Ah...yes," she replied as she kissed his mouth and tilted her hips to accommodate him. She held onto his shoulders and let her finger tips press into his flesh._

_"Never," Eric mumbled when his cock was fully sheathed. "Never make me wait this long again." He devoured her mouth in desperation. "I need to be inside you more...so, so much more."_

_He pulled out slowly, watching enraptured as his dick emerged; slick and shiny, before pushing back in again. Their synchronized moans filling the room._

_Eric's head lolled back, a loud breath hissing through his gritted teeth. "Shit, your pussy is fucking perfect."_

_She laughed lightly and kissed his throat. "I love feeling you like this, seeing you like this. I missed this," She nuzzled her nose into his chest as she stared up at him. "You're so beautiful. Bring back old memories, doesn't it?"_

_"That's because I'm inside of __you__," he smirked as he shifted again, gripping her hips as he moved his own. The sloppy sounds of their union made his balls tighten further. "So wet for me, Jackie, __fuck__."_

_With her palms flat against the large expanse of his back, Jackie held onto Eric as he moved inside of her. His strokes were deep and firm but there was tenderness to his touch, whispers of old long but not forgotten affection in her ear, and desperation in his kisses._

_Eric started pounding into her. He didn't pace himself, pushing hurried and unsure instead of slow and measured.. They were fucking and yet they still had simple connection; reassurance. She felt so damn good underneath him and the sounds that she made when he held her waist and pushed deeper, made his spine feel like jello._

_"Fuck, that's it! Right there," Jackie cried out when he did it again, "Oh fuckkkk, Eric! Pound into me."_

_Eric grunted in agreement. There was no way in hell that anything would stop him from being with his midget devil!_

_Eric moved his hands from her waist and laid his forearms at the sides of Jackie's head. With closed eyes, his mouth sought out hers and he breathed her in while she did the same._

_"So good," he chanted as he pushed into her again; finding a rhythm. "So fucking good."_

_Jackie's hands clutched his ass as she lifted to meet each one of his thrusts, making Eric move faster._

_"I need you closer," she muttered into his shoulder. "Oh God, I need you so much closer."_

_"Ah... I know," Eric groaned in ecstasy and frustration. "I can't get close __enough__, devil midget." Jackie smiled in remembrance._

_He licked her lips, lifted onto his palms, and, after another languid thrust, he held his cock deep inside of her, their hips flush, pushing harshly against each other, making her moan and writhe along him. The tip of his cock was touching places he had touched in a long time before, and his lungs were finding it really fucking difficult to do their job._

_"Ah," she called out with her head thrown back, "Oh God!"_

_"Shit," he gasped as his chin touched his chest. "Do you feel that, Jackie?"_

_"Mmm."_

_"That's me and you."_

_He pulled back and did it again, and again, and again, until they were both gasping for air and desperate to cum. Maintaining the deep connection he had with his old fuck buddy-slash-friend, Eric tucked his arms around Jackie's legs and balanced the back of her knees onto his biceps. He swiveled his hips faster, and with more force, and they both started to become louder in their pleasure._

_"Eric...__fuck__, yes," Jackie cried as her hands went to the armrest where she held on tight._

_"Are you close?" he panted above her, willing his balls to stop tightening and his dick from exploding._

_"Yes," she answered. "I...I need..."_

_With a familiarity, Eric watched as Jackie pushed her right hand between their bodies and began rubbing her own clit. _

_"Fuck, Jackie," he moaned with his eyes glued to the two fingers that were moving fast across her slick skin. "That's so fucking hot."_

_His hips and his dick suddenly took over the whole of his body, and he began to drive into her with more force. As their bodies crashed together, his mouth became attached to her nipple, her collar bone, her neck, her jaw and her mouth. When his tongue flicked at hers and he told her she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever fucking seen, Jackie's pussy gripped his dick and her entire body buckled and throbbed around him. She screamed for him and ground against him as he pounded her._

_"Eric," she groaned, "Cum, please, cum inside me."_

_Eric snarled as his dick began to twitch._

_"I'm...gonna...__ah__...fucking shit!" He groaned loudly. "Right...__shit__...there." he looked down at her beautiful face. _

_"Eric, kiss me, __please__!"_

_Eric pushed up onto her and kissed her gently. Then they nipped, licked and fucked each other's face with tongues and, as they did, Eric felt his entire body go completely still before everything tilted and he came with a howl and a string of gasps, grunts, and curses. His face screwed up as the pleasure of his orgasm lashed up his back like a white hot whip and his hips moved frantically without rhythm._

_"...__fuck__...fuck, Jackie," he grunted as he slumped onto her, relishing the feel of her sweat against him. "Dammit...fuck." His hips slowed to an eventual stop and all that could be heard were the heavy breaths that they were both taking._

_Jackie's hands stroked through Eric's hair and down his neck, making the sleep that he had been fighting come over him in a way that he was incapable of denying it. He pulled from her with a shift of his hips, but remained on top of her, unable to move from the tight grasp she had on him._

_"Sorry," he mumbled against her right breast, "So fucking sorry."_

_They soon redressed, but Eric held out his hand to Jackie. She stumbled and they knew they had to talk. She took his hand and they made their way into his bedroom, where he immediately locked his door and closed the window, and pulled down the blind so no one could peek into his room. _

_He undressed and got into bed, pulling back the covers for Jackie, who had undressed and slipped in. _

_They faced each other. Jackie brought her hand and stroked Eric's cheek. Both of them were sobered up by realizing what they had done. Something they hadn't done in a few years. Something they swore never to do again when Jackie got close to Hyde. _

_Eric heaved a deep breath, "You know...we are going to have to talk about it?" Jackie just nodded. She knew._

_"Sleep, Eric," Jackie replied quietly as she kissed the top of his head._

_He didn't need telling twice. As soon as he fell asleep, she cried silent tears. Why? What had they done?_

_End Flashback _

And that was the end of whatever it was that they had started long ago. The next few weeks were spent packing for Africa and getting his shots. They had agreed that they were drunk and sad and needed comforting. That was their last fuck with one another.

Eric would go to Africa as planned and Jackie would try to mend her relationship with Hyde. However, when he got the cassette that his Mom mailed to him, telling him what happened between Hyde and Jackie. And that Hyde married a Las Vegas stripper; he knew he would need to call Jackie to make sure she was alright.

He found out he didn't need to call her. She called him, telling the people at the Consulate that it was urgent. However, Eric and Jackie would discover that they would have a life-long reminder of their torrid one-night stand.

The conversation went as followed.

_'Hey Jackie,' _he had greeted her.

Jackie was obviously taking deep breaths; she didn't know how to tell him. A few seconds later, she decided to just tell him bluntly, _'Eric, I don't know how to tell you this.'_

_'Jackie, I want to say I am sorry for what Hyde did to you,'_ he assumed that was what she wanted to tell him something. And he did think Hyde was a jackass for doing that to her. She was willing to give up Chicago for him.

Jackie became frantic as she pleaded_, 'Eric, please shut up. Please...please listen to me. Are you listening?' _

He nodded his head_, 'Yeah, I am.'_ He wondered what could be so important that she needed to tell him.

She took a deep breath, _'Eric, I'm pregnant. It's your baby. I haven't been with anyone since that day we had sex.' _No response.

_'Are you sure? How,'_ he was worried. She was probably keeping it from the family.

_'Yes, I am sure,'_ she paused,_ 'I haven't told anyone. I obviously can't tell Donna because she has changed,' _Eric nodded. He noticed a rapid change in Donnas' letters to him. It was like she became best friends with Hyde's stripper wife. And he had a feeling she was starting to have feelings for someone else.

_'So what are you going to do,'_ he calmly asked, while he was panicking on the inside. And a plan was forming inside his mind.

_'I don't know. Why,'_ she replied, her voice shaky and scared. She had no one. Eric was in Africa and he was the baby's daddy. The other friend she could have counted on was Michael, but he moved to Chicago to be close to his own infant daughter, Bethany Victoria, nicknamed Betsy. Donna had abandoned her and started treating her like crap, along with Steven and Sam. Fez was there for her, but he was like a puppet, he strings were easily pulled by Steven and Donna. _'I have no one here,'_ then went into a meltdown tirade of sorts, telling Eric everything, from what happened since he left, how everyone was acting, how she found out about the pregnancy.

_'...Wait, you left after Sam came through the door and told everyone that her and Hyde got married,'_ he breathed in and out at a harsh pace.

Jackie nodded, though she knew Eric couldn't see her, _'Yeah, you see, I had been feeling odd and I chalked it up to a stomach bug, but then I kept on vomiting from noxious foods. But I wanted to clear things up with Steven and we were going to then-BAM!-stripper wife knocks and introduces herself and tells everyone that she and Steven got married in Vegas. I ran next door and cried till night, and then when Bob went to make dinner, which was salmon, I vomited. That reminded me that I was feeling sick. The next day I bought some pregnancy tests and some juice to make me go,' _On the other line, Eric scrunched up his nose. He really didn't need to know that. _'I kept on drinking juice and using the washroom to do the tests,' _Jackie took another deep breath, while Eric held his breath, _'they were all positive.' _

_'Fuck,' _he paused_, 'Listen to me. Are you listening carefully?'_

_'Yeah, by the way everyone is once again out. Steven, stripper wife, and Donna are hanging at Grooves with Leo and Randy.'_

_'I've heard about Randy, but he's not important. Look my mind is working overtime. Make any excuse to leave for the rest of your pregnancy and go somewhere else. I'll return to Wisconsin soon.' _There they had a plan, but of course they were Eric and Jackie, of course she would beg to differ.

_'No, Eric, you just got there. I don't want to come back just when you started. That program is going to help you a great big deal.' _

_'No, what if something bad happens? You need someone to be there.' _

_'I'll go somewhere safe and take it easy.'_

_'On your own? You're joking.' _

_'No, I am not joking. Please, Eric? Finish up your program. I'll call you when I am close to giving birth.' _

After a few heavy pauses, Eric found himself giving in with the promise from Jackie that she'd ship him sonogram pictures and to keep him with anything that had to do with the pregnancy.

...She sent the pictures, but she only wrote him once and then after that there were none nor did she keep him up to date with anything, which made him resent her.

The next day, his Mom called him, telling him that Jackie left abruptly without trace, only for her to call them, letting them know she'd be gone for months due to her only paternal aunt was pregnant and needed help. It boggled Eric's mind that no one, besides him, knew that Jack and Pamela Burkhart were the only kids their parents had. They didn't have any siblings or cousins for that matter. Not even Hyde or Kelso knew that.

The one letter she did write to him told him that she enrolled in a secluded house for pregnant teens in the area. She would conveniently come back home after she gave birth.

Eric got his shit together with his teaching program and came back home on March 4th, 1980. A few days later, his Dad told him to pack for a few days and that he was going to be picking Jackie up from wherever the fuck if he could remember. He packed the stuff he was going to need and asked where was he going. His Dad told him that Jackie was in the local hospital. Eric left on the 16th. He arrived at the hospital, only to see Jackie in the maternity ward on bed rest. Two days later on his damn birthday, his son was born.

Needless to say, his resentment towards Jackie was still there. And little did he know that she had called him earlier so he could be there for the birth.

_Flashback-March 20, 1980._

_"I named him Luke Albert Eric Forman," Jackie said in such a soft voice he had never heard her use in all the time they had known each other.. She smiled down at their son. _

_Eric was standing in the back of the room, a nondescript expression on his face. _

_Jackie looked up from Luke. Eric noted she had changed. He had heard her talking to a few people and there was no longer a shrill note in her voice. It was as if it had died away during the time she stayed in the secluded house. Her brown eyes that were always friendly if you were close to her, yet cold and haughty in her bitchy rich cheerleader girl facade disappeared and were replaced with warmth and happiness. Her raven hair that was thick and curly at the ends and ended at her shoulders had also changed, her hair now reached her waist and she seemed to start styling it in either one long plait or two plaits. He also noted she barely wore make up. He caught her only using eye-liner, telling him that she used it to hide the bags under her eyes. _

_Her stature had changed as well. She had always been skinny and small breasted, but now with pregnancy she had stretch marks and her breasts were now a full C-cup. Her flat toned stomach was now voluptuous, if anything. _

_Her attitude and shallowness disappeared as well. It seemed she now knew the difference between a need and a want. And that material possessions and money doesn't make you happy, though Eric suspected for a long time, she already knew that due to her shitty parents._

_She was in a maternity ward in the local hospital. She was still sweaty and had damp hair plastered to her face. She looked beautiful to Eric. More so now when she had no makeup on and she wasn't preened up. _

_Eric continued to look at her stoically. _

_Jackie looked back down to Luke as their son suckled on her finger then back up at Eric with a gentle smile. _

_"Eric, don't you want to see your son?" she asked him. She gently held Luke out to Eric, thinking Eric would be thrilled. _

_Eric shook his head and left the room, heading out. He couldn't deal with this right now._

_He didn't need to look back to know that he just broke Jackie's heart. _

_Without him, a plan was set into motion. To keep up appearance, Jackie decided would claim Luke as her cousin. Jackie wasn't thrilled about it, but seeing as Eric wasn't exactly "stepping up to the plate" as Luke's father, she had to resigned herself to this.. _

_End Flashback_

And that's how their son became her "new baby cousin."

Eric heaved himself up from Jackie's bed and gave Luke a kiss on his forehead and whispered, "G'night, Sonny Boy." With a gentle smile at his son, he left Jackie's room to go into his room.

* * *

**Read and Review! :)**

**~Nim**


	3. Adoration

**Disclaimer: See first chapter.**

**-I know nothing of secluded homes for pregnant teens. I took liberities. Have mercy on a kind ****Louisianan brown girl.**

* * *

They stayed for a day then went to the secluded home so Jackie could pack everything she had bought for Luke in advance and stuff she had packed for herself when she left. They stayed a few days since it wasn't an overnight packing.

For the first day or so that he was there, Eric didn't go near Luke. He didn't want to see him; didn't want to believe that he was a father, especially since he and his son's mother weren't exactly on speaking terms after their whole falling out months ago.

Eric knew he had been the biggest fucking hypocrite a few days ago. Wasn't he the one who told his dad to be a man and be there for his mom who at the time thought she was pregnant, though it later turned out she was menopausal. Wasn't he the one who looked upon his friend, Kelso, with disdain and disgust when his friend wasn't there for Brooke when she was going through the pregnancy of their daughter, Betsy? Didn't he go to Africa to actually mature and to get his degree?...What kind of so-called man, was he?

Every time, Luke would cry, he would ignore him and wait for Jackie to take care of him.

And every time Jackie, holding their small son, sauntered into the same room as him, he would get up and walk away.

He was determined to have absolutely no part in the baby's life. He was glad that he and Jackie had agreed not to reveal they were Luke's real parents.

He would go on in his life as the scrawny, nerdy man who loved teaching. He no longer had any interest in Donna, seeing the way she had changed first hand made him disinterested in her. In fact, he started to question why he had been such a pushover when it came to her? There were times where it felt like he wasn't even a man. Sex depended on Donna's mood and she was always in charge.

He was glad to be done with her.

He shook his head as he got lost in his thoughts. Where was he? Oh yeah, how he became involved with his son before they left for Point Place. He smiled in remembrance.

On the third night of Eric invading the secluded home, things changed a little bit for Eric…

_Flashback_

_He was in the middle of a full-blown make-out session with Carrie Fisher when all of the sudden he could see her fading away. A shrill noise rang in his ear, pulling Eric out of his sleep and away from his fantasies._

"_huhh?" he groaned in confusion as he opened one eye, his mind trying to register that he was not, in fact, in California, but in the room Jackie used in the secluded home for pregnant teens. He got up from the little cot they lent to him. _

_The shrill noise rang out again and Eric finally realized what it was. A baby crying. His son._

_Annoyed, he grabbed his pillow and buried his head underneath it, trying to drown out the racket. It didn't work._

"_Dammit," he cursed, throwing his pillow off of him and stumbling to his feet in the dark. He crossed the room and flung, not exactly pleased at having been woken up in the middle of the night. Not that Jackie would have heard it anyway, as the baby was screaming so loudly._

_He would be surprised if the whole home wasn't up due to the infant's wailing. He walked over where Jackie slept. _

"_Jackie, shut that thing up before I—" he began to threaten, teeth clenched, but stopped when he looked around the darkened room. Jackie was nowhere in sight. The baby bassinette that the people must have been kind enough to set up for Luke was right next to Jackie's bed. Luke was in there, sobbing away, but Jackie's bed was empty._

_Not quite sure what to do, Eric felt himself advancing the bassinette._

"_Hey, could you quiet it down over there?" he asked crossly as he continued approaching._

_Still, the baby screamed on._

"_Come on, I have-I mean- we might have to leave tomorrow," Eric sighed heavily with aggravation as he stepped in front of the bassinette. Annoyed, he leaned in to glare at the source of his oncoming headache, when suddenly he stopped. All air left his lungs as his eyes truly laid eyes on the baby for the first time._

_He choked on his breath. The baby looked just like him, only miniature-sized, even the hazel eye color that seemed to turn frequently green. The light brown tuft of hair on his head, the small nose, even his tiny pink lips were completely and totally a hundred percent Eric Albert Forman._

_Eric felt his face involuntarily soften. "Hey… hey there little guy," he said awkwardly, his tone becoming gentler. Without thinking, he began to pick up the tiny child, careful to support his head, just as he was taught when Betsy was a newborn._

_And as soon as Luke settled in his father's arms, he became silent._

_Jackie, holding a newly-warmed bottle of formula, found Eric holding Luke, staring at the little baby in awe as he tenderly stroked the baby's head. Luke's eyes drooped tiredly and Eric cooed for him to get some sleep._

_All Jackie could do was stand dumbly in the doorway and watch, the bottle slipping from her grasp and falling onto the floor. Eric and Luke didn't even seem to notice._

_"You know," Eric told his son, "My grandpa used to call me Sonny Boy. I think I'll call you Sonny Boy and Little Man." He smiled warmly down at his son, who was falling asleep. He didn't see Jackie smiling at them softly. _

_As soon as it looked like Luke had fallen into a peaceful slumber, Jackie made her presence known._

"_Hi," she said quietly, not wanting to startle Eric._

_Eric snapped his head up, tearing his eyes away from the sleeping infant to look over at Jackie.. "He…uh…was crying, so I just thought I'd..." Eric began to fumble out an excuse._

_Jackie smiled at Eric, "Stop__, Eric," Jackie said softly, waving away his excuses as she looked away awkwardly. "He's your child, too."_

_Eric swallowed at that, looking back down at his son. His _son_. He hadn't been acting much like a father, had he? Looking back up at Jackie guiltily, he nodded._

"_He's my child, too," he repeated firmly. And he would act like it from now on_, _too, he silently vowed. He would get over his insecurities and resentment towards Jackie. _

_End Flashback_

Since then, Eric had been spending any time he had with his son, whom he affectionately called "Sonny Boy" or his "little guy." He helped feed him and bathe him and change his diapers. He played with him and rocked him to sleep.

His relationship with Luke's mother, on the other hand, was a different story. Jackie was a great mother to Luke, just as Eric was becoming a great father to him. But things between the two of them hadn't improved one bit.

In fact, they never spoke, unless it was instructions on or about Luke.

"_I just changed him_," Eric would tell her.

Or, "_He needs to be fed in a few minutes_," Jackie would remind him.

Besides that, their conversations were limited and were only based around Luke.

Their only constant reminder of their failed friendship, affair, and one-night stand.

* * *

**Read and review!**

**~Nim**


	4. Getting By

**Disclaimer: See first chapter.**

* * *

Eric became Professor Forman at Point Place Community College; he taught World Studies on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in the mornings, his final class would end at 10:45 then he would go to his office to grade over papers, and then he would come home at 12:30. While Jackie stayed home at the Forman's taking care of Luke, when Eric got home, he would immediately take Luke from whomever was looking after him and thrusted himself into his fatherly role.

Jackie tried to not let her thoughts wonder so much. Red and Kitty had asked her why she had not applied for a job. Making sure to stick to the ruse of being an older cousin taking care of the other, she firmly stated that she didn't want Luke to feel abandoned like she did when she had to stay with nannies who didn't give a damn about her. Usually Jackie wouldn't have been as candid as to why she was alright with taking care of Luke, but it was true. She didn't want her son to ever doubt she loved him so.

She had kept up with her studies at the home for pregnant teens she had stayed at, as there was not much else to do there. It had been a prison for her. The nuns that ran the place were strict and never smiled, and the other girls who were staying there never seemed to take much interest in her. Nothing new there. So, she had decided to stay to herself for the most part, thrusting herself into her schoolwork and reading, all the while thinking about Eric and the baby in her swollen belly.

Once again, she fought to keep her thoughts from wondering to Eric. She had been angry and scared. She blamed Eric at first for letting them have sex, even worse sex without protection. But she knew it wasn't his fault. It was both of their faults equally. She couldn't help but wonder how he actually reacted all the way in Africa.

When she had called the Forman's, telling them she needed a ride back to Point Place, so Eric could actually be there for the birth of their baby boy, she had kept feeling like she had a knot in her throat and nervous butterflies in her stomach. She had a knot in her stomach as she saw Eric coming into the room, while she was holding little Luke in her arms. Her tiny miracle that she had fallen in love with the instant she laid eyes on him.

Her mind drifted, yet again.

_Flashback-March 18th, 1980_

_"Miss. Burkhart, your friend Eric is here," Nurse Priscilla told Jackie softly, as she took a washcloth and wiped Jackie's forehead with it. Jackie smiled gently and mouthed a thank you to the kind nurse. _

_Two other nurses came in and then Eric came in. All three nurses had been cooing at Luke. _

_"I named him Luke Albert Eric Forman," Jackie said in such a soft voice he had never heard her use in all the time they had known each other. She smiled down at their son. She had named their son, Luke, knowing Eric would be delighted over the fact she named their son after one of his fictitious heroes, his paternal grandfather, and him. _

_Jackie looked back down to Luke as their son suckled on her finger then back up at Eric with a gentle smile. _

_Eric hung in the back of the room, an unreadable expression on his face as he watched the three nurses "oohed" and "aahed" over the tiny bundle of blue blanket._

_"Eric, don't you want to see your son?" she asked him. She gently held Luke out to Eric, thinking Eric would be thrilled._

_And Eric had left the room._

_Jackie had to blink away the tears that began to sting her eyes. Eric didn't even want to __look__ at Luke or __her__, as a matter of fact. She would have to raise her son without a father. Thank goodness she had the whole make shift family to help support the two of them._

_The two of them would be fine on their own. Without the help of selfish Eric Forman.._

_End Flashback_

And for the next couple of days, she had been doing fine. The nuns were huge help, especially because Jackie didn't know much about babies.

They helped feed him and watched him while Jackie showered or tried to catch some sleep during the day so she could be awake when Luke cried for her during the night. Even Nurse Priscilla came to the secluded house just to sing lullabies to him, which, oddly enough, Luke seemed to really enjoy.

Eric avoided her and their son at all costs. And, at first, Jackie was upset. But then she decided that she didn't need her irresponsible loser of an ex-fuck buddy-slash-friend. She was doing just fine without him.

That's why she was so surprised when she found him on the third night of her being back at the secluded home. With Luke in his arms.

With a proud and loving soft look upon his face and blatant love in his hazel eyes.

After that, he was attached to their son. He fed him bottles, told him stories, watched Star Wars on the television with him (Jackie found it so cute and adorable that she had caught Eric trying to explain the whole thing to him, as if the barely week-old child would understand. She would catch little tidbits such as 'that is the power of the Force' and 'that is the way of the Jedi.' Jackie had to bit on her lip to keep from laughing.). He tucked him in at night before bed. He kissed his chubby cheek at night. Basically, he was a great father.

The only problem was that Eric and Jackie barely made eye contact with one another. They were just used to Luke talk. Nothing less, nothing more. It was only about the baby.

It was obvious that Eric felt nothing for her anymore.

Jackie was completely stricken with the way Eric was treating her. Granted, it wasn't as bad as Steven, yet it hurt. The silence between them killed her. Mainly because she still had feelings for him. And he wanted nothing to do with her. She tried to forget about what they had had. She was still waiting for it to succeed.

Jackie walked into the kitchen, just as Eric came in the kitchen from the driveway, with Luke in his arms.

Seeing that his son looked exhausted, Red got up from his seat at the table and took Luke from Eric. He was proud of his son. Luke wasn't his own flesh and blood and his own usual son, who did dumbass things, taking up the father role to this little boy. Yes, he always was proud of his son, but this took the cake.

"Oh, look at him, Red...He needs to be fed," Kitty laughed her trademark laugh, "Hahaha! Would you look at me? I could be a comedian." She bent down to Luke's level in her husband's arms and tickled the infant.

Eric walked over to the table and thumped down into his usual chair, "Yeah, it's his time for a feeding," he looked at Jackie, "Don't you have a spare bottle in Laurie's-I mean- your room?" Jackie knew what he was trying to do and was grateful. Jackie walked over to Red and gently took her son from his grandpa.

With her son in her arms, she turned to Kitty, "Don't worry Mrs. Forman. I have a spare bottle in my room. I'll feed him up there." She looked at Red, only to see him grumbling over something in the newspaper. Her breath hitched and she almost gasped as she saw darkening lust in Eric's eyes as he looked at her. She felt as if her heart was racing in a marathon.

She whipped her head and a few seconds later, found herself in her room with a closed door.

She pulled her loose gray shirt up and then pulled the right cup of her new bra down. After a few tries of getting Luke to suck on her nipple, she finally hoaxed him.

She heard a knock on the door. Thinking she may just be hearing things, she ignored it.

Knock, knock, and knock.

"Who is it?"

"Eric."

"Oh, Eric. Come in," Eric came in and locking the door behind him. He felt a tightening in his pants. God, he found himself sick at finding his son sucking on Jackie's nipple a turn on or maybe it was more of Jackie in her mother role? "How is he doing?"

Jackie, who had been staring at Luke, looked up in surprise at Eric. Was he actually making conversation with her? She stared at Eric for a while before she replied, "He is doing great today. How was he with you?"

Eric smiled brightly, "Sonny Boy was great! I'm hell bent on making him a Star Wars nerd. He'll take after his old man." He gazed fondly at their son, who was still suckling milk out of Jackie's nipple. Taking a deep breath, Eric trudged on, "Look there is this event that I am being forced to go to in a few days. I won't be able to look after him that day."

Jackie frowned, "When will it be? I need to know so I can figure out if your parents are going to be home or if I'll be by myself."

"This Friday. I don't know how long it will be. That is the problem."

"Alright, I'll figure something out," she smiled at Eric, who fell silent.

"Well, I gotta go grade papers," he stood up and as he was turning the knob, "Look like he is having fun," he turned his head to stare at Jackie head-on, "I know I did." He winked and left the room, making sure the door was shut. He knew he left a gaping Jackie in his wake.

That night Luke had been up for most of the night, still colicky. Eric had come in and rocked Luke back to sleep in the rocking chair for half of the night, taking turns with Jackie, but they were both exhausted.

After Luke settled down, Eric couldn't even be bothered to walk the few steps to his room. He had walked over to the left side of the bed and slipped in next to Jackie.

Both of them wondering what was going to happen when the rest of the gang came back from visiting Kelso, Brooke, and Betsy.

* * *

**Note:**

**-I just realized Jackie does have cousins. In the episode 'Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You' where Jackie tells Hyde she loves him for the first time, she mentions a cousin. For the sake of the story, just pretend she made up that story about the rat and cousin, so she could ease Hyde's mind.**

**Read and Review!**

**~Nim :)**


	5. Laurie

**Disclaimer: See first chapter. But I would like Topher Grace or Danny Masterson.**

**Warnings: **

**-Laurie's changed. Don't tell me she is OOC. I know she is :D**

**Be gentle! I am nervous with how I wrote Laurie and etc.**

* * *

The next day, Eric and Jackie, along with Red and Kitty got a big surprise. As they began their day, they heard the front door slamming open and closing, only for them to see Laurie Forman...a new and improved Laurie Forman, at least. Red was over the moon that his kitten was home and Kitty was indifferent to her daughter.

Stepping back, Red and Kitty looked over their only daughter. Her face was pale, her eyes were no longer held that malicious glint that it usually held to get their son in trouble, and the clothes she was currently wearing were actually wholesome and modest; no longer the revealing shirts and shorts she used to wear. The usual Farah Fawcett hairstyle she used to have was gone. It was pulled into a high messy bun with a few ringlets framing her face.

Kitty gaped for she noticed her daughter was actually wearing a bra. What had happened that made Laurie change her ways?

Red noted that Eric and Jackie didn't look so surprised at Laurie's remarkable transformation, if anything they looked sad and worried about her. And...dear God...Eric actually looked like he wanted to hug Laurie. What the hell was this world coming to?

Eric walked up to Laurie and gave her a hug, "Are you alright?" Laurie nodded against her brothers' head.

She whispered in Eric's ear, "Where's my nephew?" Jackie, who was holding a baby monitor, smiled at her behind Eric and pointed upstairs. Laurie, once again, nodded.

"Daddy, Mommy," Laurie began, "I think I will put my things in my room." Kitty was about to tell Laurie that Jackie and Luke had her room, but Laurie interrupted, "Don't worry, Mommy. I'll room with Jackie. Come on, Jackie, help me." Without a word, Jackie handed Eric the monitor and helped Laurie with her luggage.

It took about ten minutes to settle Laurie into her old room. Laurie and Jackie, with Luke in her lap, sat on the bed.

Things had changed between Jackie and Laurie's relationship. The two girls had held an animosity towards one another due to Laurie taking up with Kelso, who was dating Jackie at the time. But with certain circumstances, things had changed.

_Flashback-March 19th, 1980. Nine o'clock at night._

_Eric, Jackie, and Luke were currently inside an old Burkhart cabin. Eric couldn't drive anymore due to exhaustion and Jackie was tired from looking after Luke. She suggested that since they were half-way to Point Place, they could stay the night at one of the Burkhart properties that was nearby. She had went there as a child when her dad had no nanny to take care of her and had to use the cabin to hold a few business meetings. _

_It didn't take too long for the three of them to settle down, Eric slept on the floor, while Jackie and Luke took the bed. Jackie had to some way to prevent Luke from rolling off, so she created a padding to prevent it from happening. They shortly after fell asleep until eleven._

_There was a series of knocks on the door. The two adults in the room woke up and gave each other a confused look. Eric carefully opened the door._

_"LAURIE!" _

_Laurie just smiled weakly and held up a letter. A letter that Eric and Jackie both recognized. It was the only letter Jackie had sent to Eric about her pregnancy with Luke._

_"I found this months ago," was her starting point. It was then Eric noticed his sister looked as if she had been going through a hard time, Eric was brought back as Laurie continued explaining, he noted that Jackie seemed to have noticed the same thing as he did. They shared a concerned glance. He shook his head as he listened to Laurie, "I found your letter to Eric." _

_Eric was confused, "Laurie...I wasn't home at the time Jackie sent that letter to me. So how..?"  
_

_"Yeah, how did you see the letter if I was away at the secluded home?" _

_Laurie shook her head in frustration, yet she went on, "I was over there recently and went to see if Eric was home because Daddy and Mommy were at their jobs, I knew Eric had returned from Africa, Hyde is running that store, Kelso is in Chicago, and why would I want to talk to Donna?" Eric quirked an eyebrow at the last part. Jackie was listening to Laurie and peeking at Luke to make sure he was alright. Laurie continued, "Anyway, as I was saying, I went to Eric room and I swear I wasn't snooping, but the letter was open and I saw the word 'pregnant' and 'pregnancy' my curiosity got the better of me and I read it." _

_"Okay, but how did you know which secluded home I was at, then?" Jackie asked in a skeptical voice._

_"That was tricky because I didn't know which one you could have possibly went to, so I went to the ones in the states, and then I remembered Kelso took me to this cabin when we were 'doing it' behind your back," Laurie was interrupted as Jackie yelled out 'that son of a bitch' to which Eric gave her this domineering 'be silent' look because it almost woke Luke up. Taking notice of how dominant and confident her baby brother had become, she continued, "I went to the one that was the nearest from this cabin and they told me you had went there, but you recently gave birth and left, then I traveled here." _

_"Why didn't you just wait," Eric asked as he stared at her._

_"Baby brother, from this letter I gathered that you and Jackie didn't want anyone to know you had a one-night stand that resulted in a pregnancy, and I know you're going to need at least someone who knows of this secret, so I came here," she sighed, "Plus when life is shit and you realize you were a messed up human being," Laurie could feel the tears coming on again, she tried with all her might not to, "you realize you need to take a good look at yourself and straighten up." She found she couldn't hold the tears any longer and Eric noticed for he quickly rushed to her side._

_Pulling her to him, he asked, "What happened, Laurie?" Hazel eyes peered down into his sisters, concern blatantly etched in them._

_When Laurie looked down, she noticed Jackie was in front of her, sitting on her haunches, waiting for her to explain what had happened._

_Taking a series of deep breaths and resting her blonde head in the crook of her brothers' neck, she whispered, "I'll make it short," she heard Eric whisper 'alright' and could feel Jackie rubbing her back. It amazed her that this raven-haired girl was the same girl who had been so narcissistic, materialistic, and shallow was now the one who seemed to be compassionate or maybe it was always there, but Laurie wasn't dumb. She knew when her baby brother and Jackie continuously did behind Kelso and Donna's back, but she wasn't going to hold it against them nor blackmail them, she continued onward wanting to get this pain over with, "I travelled to New York, hoping I would make something of myself. Obviously I didn't have any luck because early this year I worked two jobs and had a shitty one bedroom and one bathroom apartment. I worked at a diner in the mornings to afternoon and then at night I worked as.." Jackie noticed Laurie's shamed look._

_Jackie hoaxed Laurie gently, "Laurie, you know that whatever happened in the past between us, we won't judge you. Come on, tell us...," Jackie was afraid to find out what happened to Laurie, but she knew she had to help the blonde woman, who was her sons paternal aunt, "..what happened?" _

_"Eric will hate me." Shocked silence filled the room. Never before had Laurie voiced her fear of Eric rejecting her or casting her aside as his sister. It scared Eric deeply. Something had to have happened to make Laurie voice this fear that he knew was always there in her mind, but something she never voiced before in their whole lives...until now. _

_"I won't hate you nor will I reject you," Eric continued his pleading, "Please...sis...tell me what happened?" _

_"I was an escort, okay? There you happy," Laurie screamed out against her brother, "I was basically raped when I was hired to work at this party. I was gang-raped." With that, Laurie let all of anger, fear, feelings of worthlessness, and every other emotion out. _

_Jackie took Laurie in her arms. She noticed Eric needed to get away as quickly as possible. Jackie combed her fingers through Laurie's hair and whispered comforting and soothing words to her._

_Her shirt was getting soaked from Laurie's tears and snot was starting to dribble down to the blonde's chin. Jackie was in shock and worried. _

_How could Laurie keep this to herself? How long ago was it?_

_She heard a slam of the door closing and curses and yelling outside signifying Eric's pain and worry for Laurie all in one. _

_"He hates me, doesn't he," Laurie asked Jackie. _

_"No, he's worried and hurt and scared for you," Jackie patted Laurie and resumed combing through her hair, "How long ago was it?"_

_"Two months ago. I wanted to go home and recollect myself and maybe get counseling, but I dunno...something stopped me. Then I saw the letter and I wanted to see my nephew or niece," Laurie explained. Just then, Eric came back into the room and grabbed Laurie into a hug._

_In a choked voice, he asked, "Are you okay? Will you be alright?" _

_Laurie nodded, "I will be, but I am changing my ways. Going through that kind of pain makes you realize things. I wanted to get counseling, but I want to meet my brothers baby before I go." _

_"Why not live near Point Place and get counseling," Jackie inquired, in a curious manner, "I mean that way you'll have me and Eric, while you're getting help." _

_"All of my stuff is in New York," she sniffled against her brother, "I didn't think everything through when I came back. I was just in a hurry to get away from New York that I forgot half of my stuff back there." _

_"Do you have much back there," Eric wondered. Laurie shook her head, "Okay, well I hate to say this, but go back to New York and sell your apartment and get the stuff you need and come back to live here and get help. Do you have a friend that can make the process quicker for you to get back here?" Laurie nodded._

_"Mrs. Melina, the lady who owns the diner, has a soft spot for me. She'll help," Laurie answered. She had finally calmed down enough. Eric grabbed a towel and wrapped Laurie's face. _

_Jackie put a comforting hand on Laurie, once again, "Come into the little bedroom and meet your nephew and sleep in there with me and him," she smiled, "I'm sure Luke would love to meet Auntie Laurie." Eric was still staring at Laurie, making sure she was alright. _

_Jackie reached out and took Laurie into her arms and led her into the small bedroom, where Luke lay asleep. Eric followed them due to worry for Laurie and wanting to make sure Luke was still settled and fast asleep. Jackie took out some sleepwear and wordlessly handed it to Laurie, who went into the bathroom to change. Five seconds later, Laurie sat next to Eric, holding the baby who was the exact replica of her brother. Jackie sat Indian style towards the foot of the bed, facing them. Jackie smiled at Laurie holding Luke and went to grab the camera she had carried around. She scoured her belongings looking for the thing. _

_While Jackie did this, Laurie was in awe over her nephew. He was just so damn precious. It was no wonder her brother was head over heels in love over this tiny being. Raising her head to look over at Eric, who was taking in his son, she told Eric and Jackie, who was still on the floor looking through her bags, "Jackie, he did not physically inherit anything from you," she stated in wonder, "He is basically Eric through and through," out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eric smile brightly with his pearly whites showing, while Jackie had smiled. Laurie could tell it was a true smile because her laughter lines around her eyes, that she got through the pregnancy, crinkled in delight. Laurie continued, "You know, it's weird. I babysat that one baby and looked after Betsy for like an one hour, but I never felt this maternal over a baby. I don't know why." _

_Eric sighed and switched his legs, not wanting them to get numb, "Maybe because of the new," he hesitated, "circumstances you realize how precious life is and maybe because the baby wasn't a kin or kith of yours." _

_Laurie nodded, "Maybe." _

_Jackie, who literally had her head in the bag in search of her damned camera, said "I agree," followed by, "I found the camera." Eric looked at her in amusement, while Laurie chuckled. Laurie started cooing at Luke,"Say 'hey, Auntie Laurie' come on...come on."_

_Jackie smiled at Laurie as she set up to take the picture. She had photos of Eric and Luke. Hell, those were the only photos on the camera so far. Now she wanted one of all three Formans together. Eric saw her with the camera and nudged his sister gently, so as not to disturb Luke. Laurie saw and smiled, gently turning her nephew to face the cameras direction. _

_Eric put his arm around his sister. Luke seemed to pick that moment to open his eyes and smile at the new pretty lady. _

_A flash went off and the photo was taken._

_The night went on. By the end they fell asleep, it was decided Laurie would go to New York, get her stuff, and put her apartment up for sell. Then come home and get help. _

_The former relationship Laurie had with both Eric and Jackie changed. All three of them knew it. Laurie, due to falling in love with her nephew and Eric and Jackie being there for her, became overprotective over the three. Jackie and Laurie were on the way to building a friendship. While Eric and Laurie had always loved each other, it was rarely shown, but tonight had changed that. It was obvious that as soon as Laurie got back to Point Place, there would be no more animosity among the two siblings._

_...and that is how Laurie came to meet her nephew._

_End Flashback_

Eric came in just then, "How was the moving process, sis?" He sat on the end of the bed just as Jackie handed Luke to Laurie.

It took Laurie a few minutes to reply, as she was taking in everything about Luke in. She had missed her nephew so much. She looked up and met her brothers hazel gaze, "It was surprisingly easy. First thing I did as soon as I reached New York was go to the diner and told Mrs. Melina everything that happened. Needless to say, she agreed as soon as she heard what happened to me. The next few days she helped me pack and then helped me tell my landlord that I was no longer going to be living there...that I was putting it up for sale. I stayed with her for a few days to recuperate. I left four days ago."

"That's good that you're now here, Laurie," Jackie stated, in an worried tone, "We were getting worried, though we didn't say much." Jackie met Eric's gaze. It was true they had worried, but they weren't talking to one another, so they never voiced their concern, though it was easy to tell it was always on their minds.

...Just like Luke...

...Just like their affair...

...Just like their one-night stand...

Eric looked away and asked Laurie if she would like him to help her unpack. Laurie nodded and handed Luke back to Jackie and started to unpack with Eric's help.

"Where is the Orphan and the others," Laurie randomly asked after thirty minutes of unpacking.

"They're visiting Kelso, Brooke, and Betsy in Chicago," Jackie said, as she gently patted Luke, who was napping. She always felt that her son, like his father, loved to sleep the most.

"Is he still giving you trouble," Laurie wondered in a steely tone that was not much different to Eric's steely tone. Go figure.

Jackie gently shrugged, while Eric washed his hands in the bathroom down the hall.

"He and the others weren't here when I came back, so..." Jackie left it hanging. Eric and Laurie knew they wouldn't let Hyde and Donna gang up on Jackie.

Eric had heard some the things Hyde and Sam were saying about Jackie during the few shorts days he had returned from Africa. He didn't know what was worse Hyde or Donna. Knowing the girl he had stuck with begrudgingly and because he thought himself in love with her at a time, had changed so much from the girl he thought he knew. Or maybe it was Hyde. He knew he resented his almost brother due to the fact he was the reason he and Jackie stopped their affair. Actually, it was a bit before that. Jackie couldn't keep back-stabbing Donna.

"When are they coming back," Laurie continued, not noticing her brother staring at the mother of his son.

"Tomorrow, I think," Jackie mumbled, tiredly.

Eric abruptly left the room with the excuse that he had papers to grade in his room.

There he sat with his students papers on his desk, grading them slowly and methodically, when he felt someone come into the room.

"When are you going to tell her that you still are in love with her, baby brother," Laurie inquired.

With that, she left the room, leaving her brother to ponder the thoughts that had been haunting him for a long time.

* * *

**I know Laurie coming in was unexpected, but she wormed her way in. **

**Read and review.**

**~Nim**


	6. Think Back and Getting Help

**Disclaimer: See first chapter.**

**Note:**

**-I completely forgot when Eric lost his virginity to Donna, but in this realm, he and Donna lost their virginity to each other before Jackie lost hers to Kelso.**

**-Yes, the Stacy in here is Stacy Wanamaker.**

* * *

There Eric stood at the Point Place Community College Welcome Dance. Okay, so he lied to Jackie about what type of event it was, but still. His eyes wandered as his lips moved against Stacy's. She was kissing him so deeply, her arms wrapped around him and eyes closed tight, and yet he was distractedly looking around as they kissed. He just wasn't into it at all.

_What the hell, man? _he chided himself. _You're making out with a hot woman. Why aren't you enjoying it! Stop being a pussy!_

Forcing his eyes shut, he put all he had into the kiss, pushing away the thoughts that invaded his mind.

Thoughts about one Jackie Burkhart.

_She doesn't want you, anymore, you dillhole,_ he heard a voice say in his head. _Get over her!_

Breaking the kiss, Eric opened his eyes, looking down at the floor almost guiltily. Stacy smiled up at him, though, and gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you at work on Monday," Stacy said flirtily, twirling a strand of her long hair around her index finger as she opened the back door of the room. "Call me!" She winked at him before flouncing out into the night and shutting the door.

Eric simply stared at the closed-door in front of him. "I've gotta get Jackie out of my head," he muttered to himself, shaking his head as he shoved his hands into his jeans' pockets.

_Flashback-1977._

_"Are you sure you wanna do this?" he asked, his voice hoarse with emotion as he looked down into her beautiful face._

_She smiled up at him, reaching up and caressing his cheek. He immediately leaned into her touch, his whole body shivering at the light touch despite the sweltering heat between them. It amazed him how she could do that to him._

"_I'm sure," she replied shyly, so unlike her usual abrasive and demanding behavior, her eyes searching his. "Are you sure?"_

_He almost let out a loud laugh at that. Was he sure? Hell, he had been sure the moment he had laid eyes on her after the first time they did it, albeit it was a drunken one night stand. _

"_I'm sure," he gave her a smile, not one of his trademark goofball and smart ass smirks that he gave her when in the presence of others. A real smile. And he gently pressed his lips against her soft ones._

"_Just… promise you'll go slow, Eric," she whispered against his mouth. He released her lips and looked down into her deep brown eyes, drowning in them. A light crimson blush appeared across her cheeks. "I've only done it a few times with Michael and that one time with you…" she said with embarrassment._

_As if he hadn't already figured that. The first time they had done it with each other, she had caught Kelso kissing Pam Macy and he was having problems with Donna. In their loneliness and pain, they somehow ended up having sex with one another. Jackie had admitted to Eric that she was still kind of new to everything when it came to sex. _

_He gave her another small smile, reaching out and smoothing her silky dark hair away from her face. "I know I haven't been the nicest person to you nor you to me, but I would never hurt you," he told her honestly and watched her smile at his words._

_End flashback_

That night was the night that he and Jackie somehow started this weird fuck buddy system with one another when they were with Donna and Kelso, Eric was nearly positive of that. They had had random sex five different times, then by the sixth time, it stopped being sex out of wanting their needs met and wanting some understanding. They actually started talking when they had their sixth random fuck-fest and before they knew, they fell for one another. And things were messy, Eric still had feelings for Donna and Jackie felt obligated to stay with Kelso because the doofus was her safe place, even if he cheated on her a million times. Hell, Eric would tell her that, to which she would reply, 'And we're not cheating on our partners with each other?'

"Stop. Thinking. About. Her," he grunted angrily to himself as he drove home in the dark. She had made it clear that they were over, and he just had to accept that, even if it broke his little Eric heart.

He let himself into the house quietly, not wanting to wake the family up. It was after midnight, and he didn't want to get bitched at. He was already dealing with enough.

As soon as he climbed to the top of the stairs, he heard a baby begin to cry. He quickly opened the door to Jackie's room. It was dim, but there was a small night light on in the corner so everything was still relatively visible. Jackie and Laurie were slowly sitting up in the bed they shared together, tiredly, rubbing their eyes into focus.

"It's okay, I've got him," Eric said to her, and Laurie mumbled something incoherent before flopping her head back down onto her pillow, most likely falling instantly back to sleep. Jackie looked at Eric, "Are you sure?"

Eric peered into the crib, where Luke was crying, probably ready for his midnight feeding.

"Hey there, my little guy," Eric couldn't help the smile that spread across his face at the sight of his small son. "You hungry?" He gently lifted the mewling infant up into his arms and nuzzled his mop of brown haired head.

Eric would have given him to Jackie, but she looked so exhausted, he decided to give Luke a bottle instead.

"Come on, let's go get you a snack," he cooed as he took Luke out of the room.

He warmed up a bottle of formula for him and watched the growing baby suck the whole thing down. He fell asleep as soon as he was finished with the bottle.

"That's my boy," Eric chuckled, tossing the empty bottle into the sink. He brought Luke back up to Jackie's bedroom and carefully set him back down in his crib, tucking him in so he was warm and comfortable.

"'Night, little guy," he said softly to the sleeping infant. Turning his heel, he looked over at where Jackie slept, tossing and turning in dreamland. Her whole face was scrunched up, and he could tell that she wasn't getting a good sleep. Laurie, also, seemed to be having nightmares that were gradually going away. He had to talk to her in the morning.

Instinctively, he felt himself being pulled towards her. Creases marred her forehead and her plump, pink lips turned down in a frown. She exhaled deeply, as if sighing resignedly in her slumber. A dark strand of her long, silky hair slipped out of her loose ponytail and fell against one cheek, flushed with sleep. Gently, he reached out and brushed the soft strand back, tucking it behind one ear. He meant to pull away after that, but his hand lingered, hovering just above his ex-lover's earlobe, so close that he could feel her body heat radiating off of her against his palm.

_Flashback-1977_

_Her dark brown eyes fluttered open and locked on his instantly._

"_Have you been watching me?" a small smile touched her lips as she gazed up at him, half-amused, half-embarrassed. Her voice was thick with sleep and it made him smile back down at her._

"_Doesn't matter," he leaned down and pressed his lips against her soft ones, as he had died to do since he had woken up around fifteen minutes ago. He hadn't had the heart to wake her up from her slumber; she had looked to angelic lying there, her dark hair fanned out around his pillow, her warm, naked body cuddled up against his, their limbs just as entangled as they had been when the two of them had finally fallen asleep after making love well into the early morning hours._

_It was just luck Donna had went on a trip with her dad to Ohio to visit some distant relative. Kelso was currently messing around with Katrina. No one was none the wiser to the fact that Jackie had not spent any time at her house. She had been sneaking upstairs and sleeping besides Eric since Donna left. _

"_Eric!" she giggled, lightly pushing him away. "I must look awful." She sat up and began to rub the sleep from her blurry eyes and fix her tangled hair._

"_You look beautiful, Devil," he objected softly as he looked at her, even surprising himself as the words tumbled out of his mouth. He looked away awkwardly, not comfortable with how easily he had told Jackie exactly what he was thinking at the time without even realising it. Honest words just kept flowing out of his mouth. Something that surprised Jackie. _

_Jackie's eyes flickered back to him and she paused from combing out her long hair with her fingers. Eric looked back over at her, and found that she was smiling at him._

_End flashback_

They didn't make it out of bed for another hour that morning. When they had finished, Eric got dressed first, then Jackie snuck around, getting dressed. Somehow, no one noticed she had been in the house and hadn't come through the door.

Eric sighed, watching Jackie intently as she slept on, memories washing over him like waves. Several years, two years of her being with Kelso, to her breaking off their fling, then somehow have a summer fling that developed into something more with Hyde, then two years of her being faithful to Hyde, them breaking up, he and her having a one-night stand to say goodbye before he went to Africa, him going to Africa, his mom telling him on a tape recorder that Hyde married a stripper, breaking up with Donna for a final time through a letter, getting a call from Jackie that she was pregnant with his baby, returning home after finishing his program in Africa, and a baby delivered nine months later, Jackie Burkhart was still the beautiful girl he remembered from that morning, which seemed both like forever ago and just like yesterday.

Acting on impulse, as he always did, Eric found himself leaning in and brushing his lips against Jackie's. As soon as their lips touched, he retracted, and Jackie immediately began to stir. Panicked about having been caught, Eric quickly stood up, prepared to retreat.

But, instead, the sleeping girl just simply changed positions and snuggled deeper into her fluffy white pillow. The wrinkles on her forehead vanished and her frown softened into a more at ease expression.

And Eric fled the bedroom.

Jackie fed Luke his morning bottle and handed him to Eric as he strolled into the kitchen.

Eric took the baby wordlessly, giving him a peck on the forehead as he tried to wake himself up.

"I'm going to the mall with Laurie this afternoon," Jackie said, looking over at Kitty, Red, and Eric as she said this. Red, as usual, was sitting at the table, drinking a mug of coffee while Kitty sang about her cooking to Luke. Eric was trying to stay awake.

"But I have work," Eric said quickly, instantly shooting a look over at Jackie. He eased up, knowing very well Laurie and Jackie weren't going to the mall, but were trying to find Laurie a good therapist and maybe even a job, if his sister was up to it. He had no qualms about looking after his son, but he did have work.

"I'll look after the little tyke, Jackie," Red said, setting down his mug. "I don't have to go anywhere today," he smiled, which came out looking more of a grimace, if anything, "Did you hear that Kitty? Jackie and Laurie are bonding. Something they could have done if they hadn't been fighting over that dumbass kettlehead."

Kitty shook her head. She was a bit more disturbed by Jackie and Laurie hanging out all of a sudden. She couldn't find anything to say, she let out her nervous laugh. "That's-that's...wonderful," she smiled tightly, "I guess."

It took Laurie and Jackie fifteen minutes to get ready. As they were leaving the house, Laurie told Eric goodbye and hoped that he will have a good day at work.

When the battered woman and teen mom got into Jackie's car, Laurie turned her head to look at Jackie, and bluntly put said, "I cannot believe you and my brother actually thought no one knew what you two were doing behind Kelso and Donna's back. You and my brother are lovers." Laurie teased Jackie.

"Ex-lover," Jackie corrected immediately, her eyes narrowing as she stared straight ahead and pursed her lips together to keep herself from lashing out at the blonde. She just wasn't in the mood to talk about Eric.

Especially not about how cute he had looked when he came into the kitchen that morning, his hair sticking up in every direction and his cheeks rosy from sleep…

Jackie was torn out of her thoughts when she heard Laurie call her name.

"Jackie?" she asked, reaching out and shaking the teens shoulder a little bit.

"Huh?" Jackie looked dumbfoundedly over at Laurie.

Laurie gave her an accusing look. "You've been ignoring me!" she threw her hands up into the air in exasperation. "I was talking about some ideas I had for a decent job."

"Oh, sorry," Jackie shook her head. "I, um, was thinking..."

Laurie rolled her eyes. "Jackie, you're obviously thinking about my brother."

Jackie was curious. She had always wondered how no one, but Laurie found out what her and Eric had been doing. She hesitated, which Laurie saw.

"Just ask what you wanna ask, midget," Laurie exclaimed. Jackie thought it would just be better if she blurted it out, "How did you find out about me and Eric?" Already her mind was heading into forbidden territory.

_And it doesn't hurt to STOP thinking about your STUPID ex…ex…whatever he was_! she added, cursing herself in her mind, _Stupid Eric_! _Stupid new confident because I went to Africa to work in an impoverished country Eric!_

"I saw you two fucking on the basement couch," Laurie blithely stated, as if she just hadn't said she caught her brother cheating on his girlfriend with her best friend, "If you want details. The rest of your retarded basement gang were wrecking havoc in Fatso Burger. I went downstairs to do my laundry...before I could even get to the washer and dryer, I hear you moaning your ass off and thinking it was Kelso, I decided to go back upstairs...until I was the unfortunate one to hear my brother smacking your ass and from the sounds of it...fucking you like crazy. I ran back upstairs after that. I was traumatized after that."

"...you didn't need to give me details, Laurie," Jackie said shyly, while she was blushing and refused to meet Laurie's gaze.

_Did Burkhart just get shy on me, _Laurie thought to herself, _Little Jackie Burkhart who beat my ass once? Then again she did have Eric's baby. Hell, all three of us changed, _her thoughts drifted to her brother. She wasn't too worried about him, but she did think something happened in Africa, for her brother seemed more dominant and less carefree, unless he was near Luke, _what happened to you, baby brother? _she thought, worried.

Meanwhile, Jackie was getting flashbacks.

_Jackie was bent over the front of the old yellow couch, her hands gripping the back, tightly as she was splayed open for Eric, who was working her harshly from behind. _

_Sounds of cum laden balls smacking her clit with each brutal thrust. _

_Wetness dripping down their thighs that were joined together. _

_White hands pinching her already sensitive nipples. _

_Her head arched back onto Eric's shoulder. _

_Sweat running heavily down their bodies._

_A deafening roar of her name._

_Toes curling as they came._

_A whisper of 'I love you.' _

_A slow, sweet kiss that seemed to last forever._

Laurie's voice shook her out of her thoughts, only to find the blonde looking at her with a knowing look in her eyes.

"Oh and by the way, in the basement? Really? Where any of your little merry basement gang could easily walk in," the blonde said in wonder, she sounded much like her former self, "I mean I didn't care if I got caught, but my brother and you are two definite people who care if you would have gotten caught and add the fact it was an affair," Jackie arched an eyebrow at Laurie, who continued, "After that, I noticed the little things you and Eric did, and from that I knew it hadn't been a one time thing. I have a question," Laurie charged on, "When did you stop? Did you cheat on Hyde?"

Jackie looked down, trying her best to get rid of her memories, "I stopped us because I couldn't handle the guilt any longer. And no, I was actually faithful to Steven," Jackie grimaced, "It's funny everyone thought I had thought I loved Michael and Steven," she paused, thinking for a bit, "No one knew that it was Eric and Steven I had trouble getting out of my heart. I realize now Michael was just my safe bet, if anything. And I care for Michael deeply and I am fond of him, but maybe that's why I can be friends with him so easily while I was with Steven."

Laurie sighed. She didn't want Jackie to get so upset.

"C'mon. Get out of the car," Laurie demanded, "Let's go see what this Doctor Camass is all about, eh?" Jackie smiled. She knew what Laurie was doing and was thankful for it.

Jackie noticed Laurie looking extremely nervous and fidgety, if anything. She now understood Laurie's method. It was the talk so you won't have to think about what's on your mind method. No wonder why Laurie was so eager to hear Jackie's question.

_Crap_, Jackie thought worriedly as she noticed Laurie trembling. She hadn't told Eric, out of knowing that he was now overprotective of Laurie, _well he always has been, but what Laurie is going through is bringing his overprotectiveness of her out in the open. _

Jackie knew Laurie acted as if nothing happened, but sharing a bedroom with Laurie and sleeping right next to her, made her aware of Laurie's nightmares and tears. Just thinking about the awful pleading and begging and heart wrenching sounds Laurie made due to reliving the rape in her nightmares, made Jackie cry.

She would never wish that on anyone. Not never Laurie. Hell, not even on stripper skank.

Eric didn't know that Jackie would wake Laurie up, only to sooth the once promiscuous blonde. She didn't want Eric to go into overkill.

Just at that moment, Laurie, whose face was devoid of make up, begged, "Please hold me, Jackie! I'm scared and terrified." Jackie didn't say anything as she pulled Laurie close to her and hugged as they walked into Dr. Camass's office.

Laurie laughed, "Camass. Does that mean if I don't like him I can call him an ass?" Jackie joined in the laughter.

An hour later, it was decided Laurie would come every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Laurie said it would be easy since Eric worked on those days, she wouldn't forget. Somehow, when asking what Laurie wanted to do, she surprised Jackie by saying she wanted to go back to college instead of trying to find a job.

Jackie couldn't help but think on that. Was Laurie alright around people? Would she get a panic attack?

Looking at Laurie, she noticed that the blonde still looked as if she had been through hell and back. She was getting bit by bit, but there was a long way to go before Laurie felt and looked better.

Pulling into the driveway, she turned off her car and woke Laurie up, who realized where they were at. They got out of the car.

"Huh...Eric isn't home, yet," Laurie plainly stated.

"It's not 12:30, yet. That's when he gets home," Jackie muttered to Laurie, while she worked the key into the lock.

The door unlocked and the new duo pushed through.

The sight Jackie was met with made her blood run cold, making her want to commit bloody murder that it would put Mary Tudor's moniker of Bloody Mary to shame.

* * *

**Read and review! **

**In reply to one of my reviews: Thanks for the compliment about the original story. I'm glad you liked and suggested that this would be better as an original story. I'm flattered. I know that Eric and Jackie are a bit out of character, but Eric has changed since he has been in Africa in an impoverished country. While Jackie has been in the States feeling she has no one to go to because since Sam arrived, everyone has been treating her like utter crap, excluding Kelso and Eric. So she hasn't had anyone to turn to. And I know some could wonder why she didn't tell Fez, but that's easy isn't it. For as much as the writers wanted to use the plot line of Fez being Jackie's shoulder in S8, it really didn't do anything for me since Fez treated Jackie like crap whenever Hyde felt he could pull Fez's strings. Not just that, but Fez cannot keep a secret. Kelso can't either, but with Kelso it depends on the severity of the situation. Eric returns from teaching and he is a little bit resentful of Jackie for not keeping her part of the promise where she said she'd keep him updated on the progress of her pregnancy. She never did. Laurie, Eric, and Jackie have been through big time changes, unlike the others( Hyde, Donna, Fez, Kelso, and etc.) who lives have also change but nothing that would put them through a shock and change their perspectives. It is why they're so out of character. **

**But I really am flattered you think it should be an original story. *blushes* **

**Question to my reviewers: I was looking at Hyde's wikipedia page and on the section where it labels his family members, it says he has a maternal half-brother named Danny..When was this ever referenced in the show?**

FamilyWilliam Barnett (father)  
Edna Hyde (mother)  
Steven James "Bud" Hyde II(stepfather)  
Angie Barnett (paternal half-sister)  
Danny Hyde (maternal half-brother) -huh?

**Also a favor, could someone please tell what year was it when K/J broke up for the final time and the year H/J got together?**

**~Nim**


	7. Afraid

**Disclaimer: See first chapter. :)**

* * *

Jackie was about to scream bloody fucking murder.

There in Samantha Hyde's arms was Luke.

_When the fuck did they get back? Most importantly, who the hell does that bitch think she is? Holding my baby boy,_ Jackie internally screamed, as she noticed the 'gang' came back from Chicago and it seemed that even Kelso, Brooke, and Betsy came along.

Laurie had a cold look in her blue eyes that was reminiscent of her former self. She knew of Sam, but she hadn't met the woman. It seemed today would be the day that she would. She studied the other blonde. The bleach blonde had a no bra on, just a pink tube top with khaki colored shorts that ended at the bottom of her barely there ass.

_What the fuck was the Orphan thinking,_ Laurie thought. She was disgusted. Hell, even when she slept around she at least wore a shirt that covered her upper body.

"Ah crap, the bitch is back," Hyde snarked, referring to Jackie, "And look she brought back a trusty sidekick." Sam laughed then cooed at Luke.

"Whose baby is that," Donna inquired while she was being embraced by Randy. Laurie looked at Randy, trying to figure out who the hell he was, "Back off slut," Donna said, "He's my boyfriend."

Laurie arched an eyebrow, "Oh Donna. I wouldn't want your sloppy seconds, seeing as you used to sleep with my brother."

Jackie still stood there, feeling murderous. There better be some type of miracle coming, because if somehow her son wasn't out of that skank's arms, she will be in jail for murder.

Brooke shook her head. She didn't care for Donna any longer. The red head, or rather now blonde, had been alright and she had genuinely liked Donna, but she had changed after Eric had left. Sure she had always been a bit domineering to Eric, but the brown haired mother found it odd how Donna didn't scold and treat Randy the same way she treated Eric. She didn't let Michael keep Betsy around Hyde and Donna anymore due to how they treated Jackie and from what she gathered the natural blonde standing next to Betsy's godmother could only be Laurie Forman. Funny, she had always heard that Laurie got around and wore skimpy clothes, but she couldn't see it. She looked guarded if anything and had wholesome clothes on.

Looking around for her fiance, she saw him making funny faces at Betsy, who was smiling back at her daddy. Daddy and daughter were completely oblivious. Brooke couldn't help smiling at them. Michael had changed since he had moved to Chicago. He was more involved in Betsy's life and his life revolved around their daughter. Yes, he was still the King, but he knew when to be serious and not take things lightly.

Her brown eyes moved onto Fez, who was just taking in the scene, while eating candy.

Hyde's voice brought her back down to the present as he looked at Jackie and said, "Why are you back? It was heaven when you were gone. We were, ya know, kinda hoping you would stay gone."

Jackie shifted a bit as she felt tears threatening to emerge. She may always be in love with Eric, but a piece of heart would always belong to Steven and the fact he was treating her like shit hurt. While she had stayed a few weeks after Sam showed up, she had to quickly leave for the secluded house. She didn't want anyone to see her showing. When she left she thought they would miss her or that Hyde would get over his strange and sudden animosity. She was wrong.

Kelso turned sharp eyes onto Hyde, "Man, cut that crap out," he turned to smile Jackie, "So Jackie, who is that little guy?"

Laurie looked over to Jackie, who seemed to be on the way to a nervous breakdown, "He's her cousin, Luke. Apparently, her aunt didn't want the baby, so midget over here decided to take him in."

Randy and Donna laughed, Randy replied, "Jackie? Take care of a baby? Yeah, right." Hyde smirked, while Sam cackled.

Just then the door that connected the kitchen and the living room swung open and without saying a word, Eric took his son out of Sam's hold and went upstairs. Jackie noticed the shaking of his shoulders, the stiffness of his neck, and the anger in his usual hazel eyes. His eyes somehow had turned black. Just before he hit the last step that didn't have the wall covering, he turned to look at Jackie to signal that he expected to see her.

Jackie found herself taking a few deep breaths, finally feeling able to move her body now that she knew her son wasn't in the skanks hold.

Going to the kitchen, she blocked out the noise in the next room, opening the frig door and picking out one of Luke's bottle to warm it up for his afternoon feeding, then putting the bottle away. As she reached the landing she smelled an odor she was familiar with and sure enough, there was Eric changing Luke followed by grabbing a sanitized wipe for his own hands after he dumped the diaper in a plastic bag.

Walking towards Eric, arm outstretched to comfort him, "Eri-."

"Not now, Jackie," Eric shrugged her away as he went into the bathroom to wash his hands and dry them with a towel. Taking Luke out of his crib, he gestured to Jackie that she should follow him into his room.

Closing the door behind them, "Eric," Jackie asked as she sat down on what used to be Spiderman sheets, "What's wrong? Is everything alright at work?"

Eric clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth, "Everything is alright at work," he calmed down and sighed, "How-how come you let them talk down to you like that? Was that what you were getting when I left? Tell me, devil midget," the old fond nickname was said softly, in a sad voice.

She sniffled as the tears she held back came forward, she whispered with her head bowed down, "Yeah, that's the way I was being treated by Steven and Donna and their new friend, Sam. Randy is alright, I just think he's trying to fit in too hard. Fez acts like nothing is wrong. And Michael is the one who puts Steven in his place. I took it for eight weeks then I left to go to the home. Were you listening in?"

Making sure Luke was lying down next to him safely, he sat up. He framed Jackie's petite face with his large, lanky, hands and wiped away her tears. Surprised by this, Jackie gasped. Her heart skipped a beat as Eric surprised her even more by pressing a lingering kiss upon her forehead.

Eric look at her. He knew he hadn't been on speaking terms with her, but just overhearing how Hyde and Donna were treating Jackie, just pissed him the fuck off. He had simply walked into the kitchen from work, only to hear loud voices burning Jackie and Laurie, which also didn't please him.

Meeting brown puffy eyes, he soothed her, "Hey, don't pay any attention to them, alright? They're not worth it. You have Luke to worry over."

"...and you," Jackie whispered so softly that Eric almost missed it. She scooted near Eric, "I worry about you too, you know. You're still Eric Albert Forman, but something happened in Africa that you're not telling anyone. What happened, Eric? Please?"

Eric let out an audible gulp. He didn't want to get into this. Not right now. "How about I will tell you when I am ready," he pleaded with her. Jackie nodded, smiling.

Eric leered at her, "Don't you have to feed our son? You know he needs nourishment?" Jackie laughed and smacked his chest playfully, replying, "Gee, it couldn't be the fact you get off on me breastfeeding our son, could it?"

He chuckled, "No...whatever would give you that idea?"

"Could you lock your door," she politely asked her former lover. He simply got up from the bed to lock the door.

"I don't understand why Red doesn't just kick Hyde and Sam out. I mean I am still getting into the routine of things and you're adjusting to motherhood, though they think you're learning how to take care of your baby 'cousin', but Hyde doesn't have any excuse and," he stuttered, making Jackie smile fondly remembering how he used to stutter when he was nervous before he left for Africa, "and-and...it pisses me off, man because that's not like Red. Red, the man who wanted me and Donna to get married when me and her had a pregnancy scare because he is that much of a traditionalist. That is my dad. Not this weird pod-person who is letting a stripper..A STRIPPER..stay in his house," Eric was getting riled up, making their son become fussy. Jackie, whose top and bra was off, look at Eric in amusement, yet agreed with them one hundred percent, Eric went on, not noticing the fact Jackie was topless and braless, "do...do you know how many threats of a foot finding its way up my ass I have gotten for less stupid things? The threats of being kicked out over the dumbest things and how many times he has almost acted upon those threats," Eric's arms were flailing in the air, "Do you kno-...," he turned to rant at Jackie, then stopped, "whoa, hello...topless Jackie."

Jackie arched an eyebrow at him as their son suckled on her, "I was wondering when you were going to realize you now had a topless woman in your room."

Jackie blushed as Eric stared at her. She wanted to cover up.

"Don't," Eric commanded, his face and eyes softening, "You still look beautiful as always," sitting beside her, looking down at their son suckling, "You're amazing, you know. Who'd have thought...you breastfeeding?"

Jackie laughed.

After Luke had his fill, Eric picked his son up and patted his back gently to burp him. All the while, Jackie put her bra and top back on, watching father and son.

"Looks like someone is ready for his afternoon nap," Jackie cooed.

"Well you know, I do get very tired," Eric replied. Jackie looked at him incredulously.

"Not you, nerd boy. Our son," Jackie let out a deep belly laugh, one she hadn't had in a long time. Eric smiled as he flipped the covers open and deposited his son safely in the middle, climbing in after him, while Jackie climbed in on the right side of the bed.

Soothing their son to sleep together, they talked about Laurie and what to do. Jackie filled Eric on Dr. Camass.

"Does that mean if we don't like him we can call him an ass," Eric asked and became confused when Jackie chuckled.

"You and Laurie are definitely siblings," Jackie snorted out.

* * *

For all of the next few weeks, Eric had somehow endure Sam, Hyde, and Donna. Then there was work. He managed to avoid Stacy. It wasn't until Wednesday when she cornered him at his office.

"_Er-ic_," sang a voice and Eric winced. He turned and found Stacy standing there.

"So…" Stacy reached out and ran her fingertips down Eric's arm, giving him a coy look. "Will I be… seeing you soon again?"

"Stacy, you're a nice person, but no" Eric tugged at his jacket, trying to sound like the friendly Eric he had always been. The one he had been before he had gotten involved with Africa.

Eric was just about to shut his door and start walking to the next class he had to teach when he caught a flash of something in his peripheral vision; something towards running towards him, and fast. He glanced up to see Jackie charging towards him, her eyes widened and a look of clear panic on her face.

"Eric!" she shouted to him as she ran to him.

Alarmed, Eric grabbed her as she came to a screeching halt. "What? What is it?" he asked, a serious look on his face as he checked to see if she was alright. It had to be something bad for her to be running down here… never mind running down to the community college and running down the hall where his office was located to get him…

"I was just going to have the office page you," she look terrified, clutching Eric's forearms with her fingers, her nails digging into his jacket. "It's Luke."

Instantly, Eric felt his whole world crash around him. "What?" he demanded. "What happened? What's wrong with him?"

"I-I don't know," Jackie shook her head rapidly. "He hasn't eaten anything all day… Kitty says he keeps pushing himself away from the bottle."

"He was being fussy a few nights when I tried to feed him, too," Eric remembered instantly. He had found it strange that Luke hadn't woken up all night, as he usually did, and brought him a bottle around four in the morning. Usually he sucked the bottles down, but this time he had only a few sips before closing his little mouth to anymore. Eric had just passed it off, though, thinking he wasn't hungry because he had had a lot at dinner or something…and Jackie recently had to keep hoaxing Luke to suckle on her nipple, "Kitty got an appointment for him in at one-thirty; I took a cab here with Luke in it."

"Get Luke. Meet me by my car." Jackie nodded, running back to the cab. Quickly throwing money at the driver and getting Luke.

Eric nodded, not caring about the test he had to give next period. His son was way more important, anyway.

Eric nodded, looking over at Jackie. "Come on, devil, let's go outside." He pressed a hand against the small of her back and began guiding her away from the cab. He was surprised that she didn't pull away from him, letting him steer her through the hall, down the stairs, and outside.

They rushed to the Vista Cruiser. Eric flung his door open and shut. Jamming his keys into the slot, putting the car in drive as Jackie jumped into the back, where little Luke was buckled into his car-seat.

"You okay, my little buddy?" Eric immediately asked, leaning down to look at his son and taking one of the squirming infant's tiny hands.

"Has he eaten anything still?" he asked Jackie hopefully as she settled down into her seat and took the baby's other hand.

"No," she told him as he began driving towards the pediatrician's office, where Betsy used to go before Brooke moved to Chicago with her, usually went. "The bottle's on the floor in the diaper bag; try."

She instantly began rifling through the bag as Eric looked on at their son's tiny face. He looked so small in his car-seat; so fragile and helpless. He blinked up at his daddy with his large hazel eyes and he gave him a small smile. _He was going to be okay. He just had to be okay._

Jackie shook the bottle and tested it on her wrist to make sure it wasn't too hot or too cold. Gently she began rubbing the rubber nipple up against Luke's plump little pink lips, coaxing him to open up. Immediately his head began twisting left and right, pushing his mouth away from the bottle in rejection.

"Come on, sweetie," Jackie gentle persuaded, "Eat for Mommy and Daddy."

She tried being a little more forceful, and all that ended up doing was making Luke angry. He began wailing, and Eric let out a heavy sigh of exasperation.

Jackie began chewing the bottom of her lip as she rocked Luke in his car-seat. Something was definitely wrong with their son. Hopefully it wasn't anything severe… maybe just like an early molar coming in or something…

"Can babies start teething when they're this young?" Jackie looked up at Eric desperately, meeting his hazel eyes in the mirror.

"I don't think so, devil midget," Eric said quietly, continuing to drive.

Eric looked over at Jackie. She was letting Luke grab at his fingers, getting him to stop crying. Jackie turned to look at Eric, the look on his face said it all. He was afraid.

"I'll go sign him in," Eric said as the three of them entered the pediatrician's office. Jackie nodded in thanks and moved over to the "Well Patients" area. She was _not_ going to risk Luke catching anything in the "Sick Patients" area.

"Luke Forman," Eric said to the receptionist as soon as he was at the front desk.

"Alright…" the woman began typing something into the computer. She then handed him a clipboard. "We'll call you shortly. Please fill out these papers."

"Yeah, sure," Eric grunted, grabbing the clipboard and moving over to his family on the other side of the room.

"They want these papers filled out," Eric said bluntly as he sat down next to Jackie, who was now holding Luke wrapped up in a blanket for warmth.

Jackie nodded, but it was obvious that she wasn't going to be the one filling them out. Eric glanced at Luke, who was falling asleep in his mother's arms, and began filling out the packet of papers.

Eric was hardly finished when the receptionist called out, "Luke; Room 7."

Immediately, Jackie bolted up, waking up a sleepy Luke in the process. Jackie gave the smallest smile of appreciation to him as the three of them walked down to examining room number seven.

A nurse was in the room waiting for them, and she smiled when she saw little Luke.

"Aww, who's this little handsome fellow?" she asked, taking the bleary-eyed infant from Jackie.

Eric knew that he and Jackie weren't very thrilled at having Luke snatched away from them, so he gave her small hand a squeeze.

"His name's Luke," Eric spoke for her, and Jackie looked relieved that she didn't have to speak. She sat down in one of the empty chairs, watching her son intently.

"Well, hi there, Luke," the nurse cooed as she began taking measurements and weighing him. "He's underweight; has he been eating well?"

"That's the problem, actually," Jackie began, and told the story of what had been going on.

"He was really fussy during the night, too," Eric added once she was finished. "He didn't wake up like he usually did."

"He has been eating less than usual," Jackie finally spoke up, her voice small and carefully controlled. "The past few days, actually. I didn't think anything of it at the time."

The nurse nodded as she jotted all of this down. "Alright, Dr. Grace will be with you in a moment."

"Thanks," the two of them both mumbled as the nurse left.

Eric immediately scooped up Luke from where he lay on the examining table, and Jackie busied herself by finishing up the packet Eric had been filling out. They would have to let Laurie know about what was wrong with Luke. Apparently, Laurie was attached to Luke whenever Eric and Jackie weren't. Red and Kitty doted on Luke, still not knowing that the infant was indeed their biological grandson. The only other people that doted on Luke were Kelso and Brooke. Having their own child themselves they understood, though they too don't know Eric and Jackie were Luke's birthparents.

Eric pressed a kiss to his son's cheek. He did notice that it was a little less chubby than usual. "We're gonna find out what's wrong and then we're gonna get you better, okay Sonny Boy?" he whispered to the little boy as he bounced him gently in his arms, calming the slightly-nervous infant.

As the door finally opened, Jackie put down the pen she had been writing with, setting the finished packet down on the examining table. Eric eyed the middle-aged man as he walked in, a pair of glasses balanced on his nose and the chart that the nurse had filled out in his hand.

"Hi, Dr. Grace," Jackie said immediately, "This is Eric."

"Hello," the man said in a friendly manner.

"Hello, Doctor," Eric said absently.

"And this is our son, Luke," Jackie explained, looking over at the baby in Eric's arms.

"Oh… I see," Dr. Grace said quietly. He looked at Eric. "Eric, would you mind setting Luke down on the table?"

Eric didn't look happy about it, and grudgingly set the half-asleep infant back down on the table, making sure his blanket protected his head against the hard table underneath him.

Dr. Grace read the nurse's notes and began examining Luke. The baby didn't like it very much, and began crying. Both Jackie and Eric watched their son, hating how they couldn't go to him when he was crying as the doctor looked him over.

Time seemed to go especially slow for Eric, who wanted to grab the doctor by his collar and demand to know just what the hell was wrong with his son. He was about to do just that when finally the doctor looked over at them.

"There seems to be irritation in the esophagus," Dr. Grace told them. "It's a bit red and swollen, probably tender to little Luke here. Which is probably why he's not too keen on eating right now."

"So, it's not serious?" Eric asked immediately.

Dr. Grace looked back at his patient. "Well… it's a bit early to say. I'm going to give a prescription, something like anti-reflux pill for infants. That should help reduce the irritation and make it bearable for him to eat."

"And then he'll be alright, right?" Jackie asked worriedly, eyes upon their pride and joy.

"I believe so. If the condition seems to not significantly improve within the next day or so, and he is still not eating much, then I think it would be best for you to see a specialist at the hospital," Dr. Grace began writing out the prescription. "This should do the trick, though," he smiled, handing the prescription to Eric. "Get this filled as soon as you can."

"We'll go right now," Jackie said, shaking the doctor's hand. "Thank you so much, Dr. Grace."

"You're welcome," he nodded, and looked at the two silent parents. "Take care now."

"Thanks, Doctor," Jackie said quietly, and Eric didn't bother to say anything.

As the doctor exited the room, Jackie got up and placed the now-quiet baby into his car-seat, sprinkle little kisses across his face as she tucked him inside the chair. Eric looked over at Jackie, not liking the feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Let's get out of here," he spoke stiffly, taking the car-seat from Jackie so she wouldn't have to carry the surprisingly heavy thing. He figured the weird feeling he had was just because he never really like doctor's offices. Hospital's either. They just kind of had always creeped him out as a kid. He had thought his fear had long gone, but now, standing there, he felt the familiar fear rush over him.

But, even as he left the hospital and got in the car to drive over to the pharmacy, the dark feeling stayed with him.

* * *

**Yup! Another update on the same day. **

**Read and review!**

**~Nim**


	8. Ominous

**Disclaimer: See first chapter.**

* * *

That night, Eric and Jackie gave Luke his first dose of anti-reflux medicine. They had a hard time getting down the baby's throat, and Eric had to force the baby's lips apart while Jackie shoved the small eyedropper into his mouth and made him swallow it. Luke got down a portion of it, but spat a few drops of it out at his mother, staining Jackie's shirt.

As soon as they got back home, Eric immediately told his parents, sister, Kelso, and Brooke what happened with Luke. Laurie and Brooke were supportive of Eric and Jackie. Kelso, Eric noted, held onto Betsy tightly as if she was going to disappear in thin air. Red grumbled that he would check up on Luke, though Eric could see the worry in his eyes, while Kitty jumped up from the chair and ran upstairs to his room. Eric didn't bother to tell Hyde or Donna.

"When do we know he is alright?" Eric asked quietly, watching Jackie rub at the stain with a baby-wipe as he set Luke back down in his crib.

"As soon as he eats, I guess," Jackie replied, tossing the baby-wipe into the trash can as soon as she seemed satisfied with the result. She peered down at Luke, yawning despite herself as she saw he was already fast asleep. Eric could plainly see the crinkles around her eyes and the furrow of her forehead. She was terrified, just like he was.

"It's late," Eric said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I should, uh, get to bed."

"Yeah, me too," Jackie nodded, looking around the room at everything except Eric.

"I'll get him the first time he wakes," he offered. She usually took him first, and then they alternated from there.

"Oh… okay," Jackie seemed slightly surprised at that. "Sure. Can you wake me if he eats?" She looked over at Luke again, her thin eyebrows furrowing in concern for their son.

"Yeah, sure," Eric assured her with a nod. "Get some sleep."

"Yeah, you too," Jackie offered him a watery smile—all she had to give—and Eric headed next-door to his bedroom. He kicked off his shoes and unzipped his jeans, tugging them off so he was now clad in his boxers and a Star Wars t-shirt.

Flopping down into bed, he tossed his dirty socks across the room and shut off the light beside his bed, pulling one tangled sheet up to cover his body. He settled down against his pillows and closed his eyes, falling instantly asleep.

And he slept the whole night.

When he opened his eyes at 6:42 in the morning, he jumped out of bed. He ran into Laurie and Jackie's bedroom, which Laurie left slightly ajar so Eric could come in and out without waking her when he took care of Luke.

"Shit!" he cursed aloud as he immediately strode over to the crib. Luke was lying there, still, his eyes opened and looking around curiously, his diaper reeking toxic fumes.

Jackie and Laurie heard Eric swearing and woke up. "Eric? What's wrong?" Laurie asked, getting up out of bed and walking over to him as he picked Luke up.

"He didn't eat all night," Eric told her, placing the baby down on the changing table and carefully opening up his diaper.

Laurie's hand flew to her mouth in shock and worry as she stared at her nephew.

Jackie let out a gasp at what she saw.

It looked like Luke had had an upset stomach. It was the most filled up diaper they had ever seen in her life.

Eric swore again as he began cleaning Luke up. "This can't be good."

Jackie took Luke to go give him a bath and Eric headed downstairs tiredly and worriedly, his muscles all tense and sore. He found his mom bustling about the kitchen, making breakfast, and his dad sitting there, talking with her as he drank his morning juice.

"Luke's stomach isn't doing so well," Eric said glumly as he sat down at the table wearily.

"That could be from the medication, honey," Kitty informed him. "It's a common side effect with most medications. I'm sure he'll be okay."

Eric perked up a bit at this. "Really?"

"Yeah," Red nodded, setting a plate of scrambled eggs down in front of him. "Has he eaten yet?"

"No," Eric shook his head, sighing as he looked down at his breakfast. For the first time that he could remember, he wasn't hungry.

"It may take some time to work," Kitty said. "I'll heat him up a bottle, anyhow. Where is he?"

"Jackie's giving him a bath," Eric replied, sitting back in his seat, his eggs untouched.

Laurie came down holding Luke a few minutes later. He was dressed in a new pair of fleece pajamas and he smelled of baby powder. Eric reached up to take him, and Laurie gave him to him, taking a seat next to him tiredly. Eric pressed a kiss to the baby's warm head, breathing in his sweet smell. He always smelled so great after a bath.

Hyde and Sam came up from the basement at the same time, dressed and talking about who-knows-what.

"Where's Brooke?" Red asked, noticing Kelso slept on the living room couch and that Brooke and Betsy were missing.

"Brooke and Betsy stayed at Kelso's home," Hyde said with a shrug, helping himself to some scrambled eggs and making a mess in doing so.

Red groaned and got up. "Great, now I have to wake the Kettlehead," as he went into the living room, they could hear him yell, "Kelso!"as he left the kitchen to go wake up Kelso.

"I'm not going to work today," Eric stated flatly, looking up defiantly at his mother.

"Eric, don't be ridiculous," Jackie waved him off. "You have to go to work. Luke will be fine here with me. If anything happens, I promise to call you and Laurie."

"But—" Eric began to protest.

"No," Laurie said sharply. "Luke will be fine with his Auntie Laurie, won't he sweetie?" Laurie smiled down at the little baby in his daddy's arms.

It was a shame that none of the four hadn't noticed Hyde's expression. Hyde interrupted them, "Forman, why do you care? He's not your baby, anyway," he stated rudely.

They ignored him as they were worried about Luke. Laurie was a bit in shock that her mom didn't pick up on the fact that she called herself Auntie Laurie.

"Can you get him to eat?" Eric asked, studying his little son. He didn't like how pale he was beginning to look. How small and fragile. And light.

"I'll do my best," Laurie nodded. "Now, you two go get ready. I don't want you being late for work." Somehow, after all the traumatic stuff she went through, she became more caring and worried over Eric, Jackie, and her nephew. She was still the same bitchy Laurie, just not to those three...Now the others were a different story.

Jackie reluctantly got up and went to her bedroom obediently. Eric gently handed Luke over to Laurie and re-traced Jackie's footsteps upstairs. He went into his room and got dressed as he heard Jackie running around her bedroom, hurriedly doing the same.

Eric drove unhappily to work, while Jackie had errands to run, so they wouldn't be able to be with their son.

After work, Eric barged through the living room, ignoring all eyes that were on him as he went over to Jackie, who looked positively flustered as she rummaged through her diaper bag.

"Anything new with Luke?" he asked when she looked over at him.

"No," Jackie shook her head, "You have to go back for a teacher's meeting, I assume?"

Eric nodded. "I'll be home around six. I'll call before then though to check in."

Jackie cocked her head to the side as she observed him. He really was worried about his little man. "Alright."

"And have me called at the office if you need me for anything," he continued.

"I will," Jackie confirmed.

"And midget devil?"

"Yeah?"

"Get some rest, you look like hell."

Jackie gave him an annoyed fake smile, her brown eyes narrowing. "Gee, thanks."

He gave her a smile to let him know he was just playing with her, backing up a few steps before turning and exiting his house. Jackie sighed knowing she was going to have to go downstairs and face Steven and Sam's burning ritual with her.

Eric had been lying, of course. Jackie Burkhart could never really look like hell. She did, however, look completely exhausted like she could fall asleep standing up, totally worn out. And, of course, Eric knew why. He was feeling the same tiredness, but was much better at hiding it than she was. He was worried about his son, but instead of constantly dwelling on it, he tried to keep plugging along, hoping that everything would be alright and all of the worrying and concern was for nothing.

"Hey, man," his old friend, Buddy Morgan, said as he entered the room they were supposed to be meeting in.

"Hey," Eric responded coolly, setting his bag down on a bench.

"What's happening?" Buddy asked casually, he could tell his old friend was worried about something. After that kiss a long time ago, they kept in touch. Buddy was happy and grateful that Eric hadn't turned out to be a homophobe.

_If you only knew, Buddy, _Eric thought to himself, yanking off his tie. "Not much."

The meeting seemed to go on forever, all the while, Buddy kept check on Eric who seemed eager to leave. Something was upsetting and worrying Eric.

A few hours later, the meeting ended and the two friends went to their respective offices, which were near each other.

"Damn it," Eric yelled, kicking the desk in his office with his foot, leaving a small dent in the thin metal.

"Eric?" he heard a voice and looked over. It was, once again, Buddy.

"Yeah?" Eric responded pitifully.

"What the hell's up with you?" he asked, knowing that it had to be something big. Eric was the most likable professor in the community college, and when he was this upset, there had to be a reason behind it...a huge one.

"Nothing," Eric sighed. Then he looked over at his childhood friend. "Hey, can I use your office phone?"

"Yeah…sure…why?" Buddy asked curiously as he led Eric into his office to use the phone.

Eric gave him an "I'm-Eric-Forman-That's-Why" kind of look. Buddy rolled his eyes and handed the phone to his friend. Eric dialed his house number then looked up at Buddy.

"Uh, can a guy get some privacy please?" he asked in annoyance.

"Fine, fine," Buddy shook his head, knowing Eric wasn't going to tell him what was up anytime soon.

"Yeah," Eric said, shooing him along.

He waited until he was sure Buddy was gone. Sam answered in her sing-song voice.

"Hello, Forman!" she belted out cheerfully.

_Is she serious_, he thought.

"Hey Sam, can you get Jackie on the phone?" he asked his foster brother's stripper wife patiently.

"Okay, Eric!" Sam exclaimed and Eric could hear her drop the phone on the floor and her footsteps as she ran away to fetch her enemy.

About a minute later, Eric heard Jackie tentatively ask into the phone, "Eric?"

"Jackie," Eric said. "How is he?"

"Not good," Jackie sounded very upset. "He's barely had a mouthful all day. I think I'm gonna take him to the hospital."

"Shit," Eric let out. "Where's mom?"

"She went with Brooke and Betsy to find Betsy some new clothes."

"What about my dad?"

"He's working late."

Eric let out a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "Alright, who's home with you then? Just Sam and Luke?"

"Steven's here, too," Jackie replied and then paused. "Eric, I think Luke has a fever."

Eric knew she was at the end of her rope there, and began hurriedly packing his stuff.

"Okay, I'm on my way, Jackie. Bundle Luke up and wait on the porch for me. Tell Hyde he's in charge of the house for now."

"But Eric,r—" Jackie began.

"I'll be there by the time it gets there, okay?"

"Eric…" Jackie's voice trembled a bit and Eric paused what he was doing.

"Jackie…I know. I'm scared too. But we're going to get Luke better again, okay? I promise you he's going to be alright."

And even though Jackie knew that Eric couldn't know that for sure, she believed him.

"Okay," Jackie said softly. "Eric? Hurry home."

"I will," he told her, promptly hanging up. He flung the phone back onto the jack, while snatching his belongings and car keys. He just booked it out of the parking lot before anyone had a chance to ask what in God's name he was doing.

* * *

**Surprised by Buddy Morgan reappearance?**

**Read and Review!**

**~Nim**


	9. Failure to Thrive

**Disclaimer: See first chapter**

* * *

Jackie snuggled Luke in closer against her, glad that Eric had told her to bundle him up. In the midst of all the chaos, she had forgotten how cold it had been getting outside and how, even at only 5:30, the sun was beginning to go down.

"Your daddy and I are going to make sure you get all better, sweetie," she cooed to Luke as she nuzzled her nose into his cheek, looking in the street both ways for the Vista Cruiser or Eric.

In the distance, she could make out the headlights of a car heading towards them. She couldn't tell if it was a car or the Vista Cruiser, and breathed a sigh of dismay when she finally realized that it is was someone.

Just as Jackie was contemplating calling a cab, she saw a Vista Cruiser turning the corner at full-speed. She smiled when she saw that it was Eric, driving like he was competing in a marathon.

"Eric!" Jackie flagged him over, as if he didn't know where the front of his house was.

Eric braked hard in front of her, and bent over the steering wheel when he reached her, hands on his kneecaps, trying to catch his breath. He obviously zoomed from work out of worry and panic frenzy.

"Ready to go?" he asked in-between pants.

Jackie nodded a sense of security and a rush of hope coming over her as she looked into Eric's eyes. "Yeah, we're ready."

Eric set up Luke's car seat, buckling it and his son in the car sear as Jackie got in with Luke in the back. Looking into Luke's eyes, Eric could tell that something was definitely wrong. They didn't hold that glow—that shine of mischievous glint that was inherited from both him and Jackie. He looked rather lethargic, barely moving as Eric buckled him in tightly.

"Hang in there, Sonny Boy," Eric said, brushing his lips against the baby's forehead. It was hot.

"He doesn't have an appointment, so we just have to take him to the emergency room," Jackie informed Eric as the he began to drive.

"That's probably for the best," Eric responded, not taking his eyes off his tiny son as he drove on. Every ten seconds Eric would look in the back to check on his son. His cheeks were flushed with fever and his eyes had fallen shut in exhaustion.

"He's getting worse," Jackie said fearfully, her eyes brimming with tears. "Before your mom left with Brooke, she said that his stomach was upset again this afternoon. And he _still_ hasn't eaten anything."

"It's okay, devil," Eric said soothingly, reaching over and placing one hand on her skirt-clad thigh in comfort. "He's going be okay now; he's going to the hospital."

Jackie didn't look so convinced, wiping the tears from her eyes and then resting her head on the corner of Luke's car seat.

Eric, of course, was not as cool as he seemed. Inside, he was completely freaking out. Something was terribly wrong with his son, his little baby boy; the most important thing in the world to him.

It's funny how people change.

He smiled sadly as he remembered. It had been his only class with Jackie and it was before they started their fling. He still thought she was a snotty bitch and she thought he was a nerd.

_Flashback_

_Jackie stared down at the questions of the lame assignment in the only class she had with Eric. Eric couldn't believe that he had gotten stuck with her, the worst person on Earth. The girl who had entered his life not two weeks ago and was already driving him up a wall because she was dating Kelso._

_She never shut up. She had to have a say in everything. She fought him tooth-and-nail about every little thing. She dared to challenge his role in his basement._

_She was like nobody he had ever met before._

"_Can we just finish this stupid thing," Eric groaned in annoyance._

_She glared right back at him. "__Fine__. Question eleven. Where do you see yourself in a few years?"_

"_Married to Donna, driving my parents up the wall. Surrounded by my friends, which means...not you," he smirked at her._

_Jackie rolled her eyes, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice and eyes, as she wrote his answer down. She hated being the interviewer, especially to an interviewee like __Eric__. What a stupid English assignment._

_She swore it was like Eric had this whole other dark side to him that he felt the need to disguise due to the role he played in the basement gang._

"_Question ten. Where do you see yourself in _ten_ years?"_

"_I don't know. Haven't thought about it," he smirked again._

_Jackie looked up from the paper. "Don't you want a family?"_

_Eric shrugged. "I don't know. I guess maybe. Eventually."_

_Tapping her pencil against the edge of the table, she asked question #13. "What or who is the most important thing or person in your life?"_

_And immediately, Eric had replied, "Star Wars and Donna."_

_End Flashback_

That had been only a few years ago. Things had changed. He had changed.

Eric looked down at his son and Jackie again.

He had _definitely_ changed.

"Eric, we're here," Jackie said, nudging him from where she sat. Lost in his thoughts, Eric hadn't noticed that he had stopped moving and were parked right outside the ER of the hospital.

"Oh," Eric shook himself out of his reverie and opened his wallet. He helped Jackie untangle Luke from the seatbelts, and carried the car seat into the emergency room. As Jackie checked in at the desk, Eric sat down wearily in a chair nearby, bringing the car seat up onto his lap so he could watch Luke sleep.

"He's a little angel," an older woman commented, and Eric looked over to see the grey-haired lady smiling next to him.

"Thanks," Eric smiled weakly, a sick feeling boiling in the pit of his belly.

"Poor thing not feeling too well?" she questioned, peering in to study the tiny baby inside the car seat.

"He isn't really eating," Eric answered, frowning worriedly at his son.

The woman clucked her tongue in a "that's a shame" sound. "Aw. Poor dear" She eyed Eric then, "Where's the mother," the kind lady asked in a soft tone. Eric pointed to Jackie and watched as the lady observed her, she surprised him by telling him, "He looks just like his father. Hasn't inherited psychical from his pretty mother."

Eric felt his cheeks flush a bit under the old lady's soft gaze. "Thanks. He may not look like his mom, but he has inherited both of our spirit." She smiled at Eric.

"I checked him in," he heard Jackie say, and immediately looked up from Luke's sleeping face. She apprehensively sat down on the chair next to him, her hands tightly clutching insurance papers.

Eric nodded and looked back to his left, at the lady. Except, now, she wasn't there. She wasn't anywhere in sight.

_Strange, _Eric thought to himself. He didn't have time to dwell on it or question his sanity, because Luke's name was called and the trio were beckoned by a plump, round-faced nurse in blue printed scrubs.

"Come with me, please," the twenty something year-old nurse told them, and led them to an examining room.

A few tests later, and Doctor Grace pronounced the diagnosis.

"I believe that young Luke is suffering from Failure to Thrive," Dr. Grace said bleakly as he looked at the young, nervous couple in front of him.

"What's that?" Eric demanded, already not liking the sound of it. The father protecting his cub coming out of him in waves. Jackie looked anxious and worried.

"Will he be alright?" Jackie asked simultaneously, gripping the arm of her chair with both hands in alarm.

"It can be, if not detected. Children who _fail to thrive_ don't receive or are unable to take in, retain, or utilize the calories needed to gain weight and grow quite as expected," the doctor explained.

"How did he get this?" Eric asked, praying that it wasn't something he had done. He was so new to this whole father thing that he often worried if he was doing things right…more than he would ever admit to Jackie, who squeezed his hand.

"Infants and toddlers can suffer from Failure to Thrive from many different factors. But, in Luke's case, I would say that gastro esophageal reflux, along with chronic diarrhea and sensitivity to his formula all triggered it. His esophagus is so irritated that he is refusing to eat simply because it hurts. Along with his stomach problems, which is preventing him from holding on to the nutrients and calories from the little food that's he has eaten, he is malnourished."

Jackie's eyes filled up instantly with tears. "Oh my God," she spoke slowly. "My baby is malnourished. I starved my son! Steven was right," as tears started to fall, she wrapped herself around Eric, who embraced her, "I'm a _horrible_ _mother_!" she cried out, dropping her face into her hands to cry.

"No, no, Jackie," Eric quickly wrapped his arms around the sobbing raven in a hug. "Shh, it's not your fault." He looked up at the doctor nervously. "It's not our faults… right?"

"No, of course not," Dr. Grace soothed the pair. "I can see that you've been taking great care of this child. He's just having a problem with his stomach, that's all. I'll switch him to something milder and give him a heavier dose of his anti-reflux medication." He flipped open his prescription book.

Jackie stopped crying, but still looked guilty, as if it was her fault that Luke was there. The doctor suddenly stopped what he was doing, and looked over at the two.

"You said that he was born late last week, correct?"

Eric and Jackie looked at each other, confused. Eric shook his head. "No; two weeks ago," Jackie shook her head.

Dr. Grace frowned at that. "He is severely below normal weight, then." He bit the inside of his cheek. "I think its best that we keep Luke for a few days so we can feed him through the IV."

Eric's eyes widened. "Is…is that necessary?" he asked, not exactly liking the idea of his Sonny Boy staying overnight in the hospital, especially without _him_ there.

"I'm afraid so," Dr. Grace replied. "While he's here, we can do an x-ray and perform a few tests to make sure there is no other damage; since he is so young."

Eric didn't respond, looking over at Jackie, who looked completely crestfallen as she stared at little Luke sleeping again on the examining table. Eric was no better. He was falling apart on the inside. It was as if someone punctured a hole in his heart and kept dumping cold Atlantic ice water, numbing his heart. Jackie was shaking and her hand was searching for Eric's hand to hold and gain support from.

They looked at one another once again as they felt their world fall apart.

Simultaneously, they said, in a deadened voice, "Alright."

As they left their son, they didn't say anything in the car or on the way home.

As soon as they got into the house, Jackie's heart wrenching scream for Laurie was heard throughout the whole, yes even in the basement. And Eric...Eric needed a friend he could trust.

He was still close to Hyde; however the curly-haired man changed. Fez would blab and Kelso would actually be there for him, but he didn't know the truth and would eventually blab, plus he had Betsy and Brooke to worry about.

He, like Jackie, wondered why Hyde had so much animosity towards Jackie. Granted, Kelso being at the hotel in a towel was fishy, but it was Kelso. Kelso, who had a way of lighting himself on fire every day and managed to always mess up his clothes, and Jackie shortly left, eight weeks after, Sam arrived. Eric thought that Hyde would have gotten over the hate he had for Jackie.

Then there was Donna. He didn't care any longer on that end. They still talked but they weren't close, because the Donna he saw now wasn't the same Donna he grew up with and liked and thought himself to be in love with. This Donna was like some sort of pod-person. Then again, she always had been wishy-washy. It was as if she were a character on a show and the writers could never keep her characters beliefs consistent. Like when he just started to date Donna, she hated any type of women flashing, saying that they were objectifying themselves, yet she mooned her ass off in the yearbook. He never understood her.

He walked into the kitchen. Picking up the phone he dialed Buddy's number, it didn't take long for his old friend to agree to come over to talk. Eric told Buddy to just simply come up to his room. From the crying he could hear, he knew Jackie was telling Laurie everything.

Laurie came down the stairs and opened the door, peeking her head in to look at her brother with worry, "She's asleep," she knew what Eric was going to ask before he spoke, "Question is: are you alright?"

Eric gulped and tilted his head towards the door; Laurie understood as they both got up from the table and walked to Eric's room, where Jackie lay asleep. It was obvious she had been crying if the puffiness and tear tracks were anything to go by.

Eric went to his side of the bed, slipped under the covers, pulled off his pants and shirt, throwing them onto the floor, and got comfortable. "No, I am not alright. I'm a mess. I feel sick, sis." He lay there for awhile. Laurie sat on the end of the bed, "I called Buddy over."

"Buddy?" Laurie asked. She remembered Buddy, "Buddy Morgan?" Eric nodded.

"I called him because I needed a guy to talk since...well you know," he said tiredly. Laurie nodded, she did know. Laurie didn't trust Sam for shit and if that bimbo kept on the way she was, she was going to get hurt, far worse than Laurie had been hurt, "How is therapy going for you?" he asked worriedly. He had been worried about her, yet he felt bad he hadn't asked her though he had been meaning to. But with Luke and work lately...

Laurie's smile lit up the room, "Dr. Camass and I think dad and mom are the root of the problem," she saw Eric raise an eyebrow at her; "You know how they've always been with favorites." Eric nodded, as much as he loved his dad and mom, if they hadn't had their favorites, Laurie wouldn't have been a slut and maybe he would have been a bit more confident.

"Something tells me that there is more with the Ass guy," Eric joked. Laurie playfully hit him, "Shut up, Air." Eric groaned. He hadn't heard that god awful nickname in a long time.

"Noooo, Laurie," he complained, "Not that freakin' nickname."

Eric looked over at a sleeping Jackie; he stroked her cheek with his index finger, while still paying attention to his sister.

"Don't blame me," Laurie joked, "I was five and I couldn't say Eric, so I took the 'air' out of Eric and you became," she reached over and pinched Eric's cheek, "my precious baby brother...Air Forman."

The Forman siblings heard a snort. Laurie swung her head around, while Eric moved his body up the pillow.

Buddy heard the whole nickname drivel.

"Hey, guys," Buddy greeted them quietly so as not to wake Jackie.

They nodded in return.

"Want to tell me what happened the other day at the meeting, Eric," Buddy asked kindly. Laurie and Eric looked at one another. For the next hour, Laurie and Eric took turns explaining everything. From the affair, one-night stand, secluded house, Eric/Jackie/Hyde/Kelso/stripper, Donna/Eric/Jackie/Randy, Africa, teaching degree, Luke, who knew and who doesn't know, Laurie's rape and therapy. By the end of it, Buddy looked exhausted, as the siblings just filled him in where Luke was.

"Will he be alright," he asked.

Eric wasn't in the mood, "Could you two please leave? I just need to be alone." Laurie and Buddy nodded and left. He could hear Laurie tell Buddy that she'd fill him in on everything else.

Eric wrapped his arm around Jackie and put his head in the crook of her neck. He tried. He tried so hard to be strong, yet he couldn't stop his shoulders from shaking nor could he stop the tears rolling as he sobbed loudly into Jackie's neck.

Jackie woke up to warm tears streaming down her neck. She knew immediately that it was Eric; she took her arm that was near his around her waist and threaded her fingers lovingly through his hair as she joined him in crying. She felt his arm tighten around her waist, pulling her to him to the point there wasn't any space between them.

Eric kissed her neck, gently that Jackie got goose bumps and shivers from it. He lingered there for a few more seconds before they cried themselves to sleep.

* * *

**Read and Review.**

**~Nim**


	10. Heartbreak

**Disclaimer: See first chapter.**

* * *

Red and Kitty had to practically drag Eric and Jackie out of the hospital that night when visiting hours were over. They wouldn't let the two of them stay overnight, since Luke had been set up in a nursery. There were several nurses who would be with him and the other few babies there, watching them 24/7, they assured Eric and Jackie. And they promised to call if anything happened, although they told the two that their son would be just fine. Thankfully, the last part had been said when Red and Kitty weren't in the room.

Red and Kitty came to pick up the two somber ones and Jackie burst into tears as she hugged Kitty out in the parking lot.

"I miss him already," she mumbled on the way home, clutching Luke's empty car seat to her as she stared despondently out the window.

Eric didn't admit it out loud, but he already missed the little guy, too. The car ride home seemed strange, and being in the Forman house without a baby in there somehow seemed even stranger.

That night, Eric lay awake on his bed, listening for the sounds of his son, which he knew would never come. All he heard was the occasional loud sniffle from Jackie and Laurie calming her down. It was obvious that she wasn't getting any sleep, either.

In the room right next to his, he could hear his dad and mom conversing about Luke. Wondering what happened to the little guy.

Buddy had been coming to visit more often and calling the house to see if there was anything he could do and always asked about Luke whenever he and Eric were at work. He was constantly asking Eric and Jackie if he could met Luke soon.

He sighed as he suppressed the overwhelming urge he had to go over to her room and take her into his arms. He couldn't let himself get involved with her again. He couldn't have his heart broken again.

_Flashback_

"_This…whatever it is we have…needs to stop," she had said to him, and he felt his whole world crumble at her word, "I can't keep cheating on Michael with you and you can't keep cheating on Donna," her eyes softened, "She's my best friend and Michael has been your best friend since you two were children." _

_He couldn't let it show, though; couldn't let her know his true feelings for her. Because it was obvious that she didn't feel the same. "Fine," he had passed it all off with a shrug, pretending it wasn't a big deal to him. Pretending his heart wasn't screaming as he stared into her suddenly cold brown eyes. "It ends now then."_

"_Good," Jackie had said, and he retaliated by repeating her in a biting voice._

_Taking it one step further, he narrowed his eyes at her and snarled, "Let's pretend we never started this."_

"_Perfect," Jackie had agreed "In fact, go chase after Donna all the way to California," she whirled around; retreating back out of the basement, letting him know for sure that it was all over._

_Teeth grinding in anger, Eric turned into his own bedroom and slammed the door for effect. Then, he had sunk down onto the floor, leaning up against the door as he cried for the first time since he was a little boy._

_End flashback_

Sadly shortly before that moment, when Kelso and Donna went to California, he made the decision to never hook back up with the redhead. He had been ready to tell Jackie, but not long after Jackie broke off everything. He chased after Donna, only to return to find out that she and Hyde were hooking up a few weeks after he left.

After that the burns he made towards Jackie were always harsh and what surprised him even more was the fact that she always seemed hurt and had heartache in her brown eyes.

It was that bitterness and resentment and betrayal on Eric's part how the two of them had ended up compromising and only speaking of their son.

Now that Luke was sick, however, Eric wanted nothing more to be there for Jackie and for her to be there for him; to lean on each other at this time.

It was if she had read his mind, because not a minute later, he heard a soft rapping on his door.

"Yeah?" he asked into the darkness, and watched as the door hesitantly creaked open.

"Eric?" came a meek voice, and he found Jackie stepping into the room, a glowing light from the hallway drifting in behind her.

"Come in," he told her gently, feeling that spot in his heart grip at the sight of her. She nodded silently, and crossed over the room, her silhouette the only thing he could distinguish in the dark—petite and feminine.

She looked uncomfortable as she came into his view, the moonlight from the window hitting her face in just the right angle. He watched her trap her lower-lip between her teeth nervously, he remembered the last time she did that.

_Flashback_

_He was sitting at his desk, staring at notebook as he tried vainly to think up a subject for his science report. Glaring at the paper and library books, he flared his nostrils, wondering why he had waited until last minute (yet again) to do his report._

_Suddenly his door burst open, and Eric whipped his head around angrily in order to yell at the person who dared to not knock before entering, but his words remained on his tongue, unmoving, as he found the new-found object of his desire standing in the doorway._

_She gave him an instant smile, one meant only for him. "Donna just called and needs a cram session before the exam tomorrow," she spoke quickly, her smile turning into one of regret. "So I'm just going to stay over there for the night instead of sneaking in here to sleep."_

_His face instantly fell. Every other night were _their_ time. "Can't she study by herself?" he narrowed his eyes, inwardly cursing his girlfriend/next-door neighbor. Why hadn't he broke up with her, yet?_

_Jackie's eyes softened. "I'm sorry; I already promised I would go."_

"_Whatever," Eric mumbled, turning back to his paper that was staring him in the face._

_He didn't hear her come closer until he felt arms wrap around his body from behind. He instantly melted back into her warm embrace. "That's why I'm here now," she whispered into his ear, her soft, sweet breath tickling the back of his neck, causing the thin hairs there to stand up to attention. "I thought we could have _our time_ a little earlier today," she said, and gently pressed her perfect lips against his earlobe. _

_His reaction was immediate, as he craned his neck around and quickly crushed his lips against hers. Swiveling around his chair, he pulled her into his lap and she straddled him eagerly, deepening the kiss still. He moved his hands down, moving them against her thighs, slipping up under the back of her shirt, simply feeling her as she intoxicated him._

_He stood up to lock his door. His blinds were already down and the window was locked. _

_Yanking her top off, he threw it onto the floor, where their clothes always seemed to end up, and gathered her up into his arms before standing. She wrapped her legs around him as he moved them across the room, their lips not disconnecting once, and the two of them fell onto his unmade bed._

_His heart thumping loudly in his ears as she worked on the fly of his jeans, he suddenly felt a word run through his mind. It echoed until it became a chant, getting louder and louder until Eric felt the word on his tongue, aching to resound into the air that was crackling with the electricity between them._

_But he swallowed it, as Eric Forman would never tell Jackie he loved her. _

_Yet it had never come so close to being voiced before, and that scared him to the point where he almost pulled away from Jackie and told her to leave._

_Almost._

_He did, however, stiffen a little bit, and Jackie automatically noticed._

"_What's wrong?" she asked, pulling away, staring up into Eric's lustful hazel eyes._

_Eric's eyes remained on her swollen, pink lips, bruised from their passionate kissing, and he shook himself. A smirk graced his lips, and he leaned down, pressing his mouth against hers again._

"_Nothing," he murmured against her lips, his hands moving to the clasp of her bra, getting back to the task at hand._

_End Flashback_

He had almost told her that he loved her then, which was ridiculous, because they had only been together for a couple of weeks then. There was no way he could feel that strongly about a girl in such a short amount of time, especially Jackie Burkhart of all people.

"You didn't sleep," Jackie's voice brought him out of his reverie. It was more of a statement than a question, and her eyes were still trained on his.

"Yeah," Eric replied softly, swallowing to rid himself of the memories that which had just invaded his mind. "I can't."

"Me neither," Jackie replied, looking away. "I miss him so much."

"Me too," Eric confided. Moving over a bit in his bed, he made some room for her and then patted the bed invitingly.

She looked unsure. "Eric…"

"Come on," he insisted. "It doesn't have to mean anything, Devil."

Knowing that he was right, and in desperate need for a bit of comfort, Jackie slowly nodded and slipped into the bed beside him. He pulled the comforter up to her chest, as it was cold in his bedroom and could tell she was shivering ever-so-slightly.

"Thanks," she whispered, settling back against one of his fluffy pillows.

Eric didn't respond, but nodded, and a silence fell over the dim room. After several moments of complete quiet, Eric thought that Jackie had dozed off. So, when she spoke, he was surprised.

"I was thinking to myself… in my room a little while ago… what would I do if Luke _didn't_ get better? How could I go back to being just a regular teenager?"

Eric glanced over at her somber expression. "Don't say that, Jackie."

Jackie eyed him sideways. "We have to think about it, Eric. The possibility is there. He's so young and weak."

"_Stop it_," Eric snapped, sitting up angrily.

Jackie sat up with him, taking in the expression he was trying to hide. He was scared.

"I'm scared too," she breathed, grasping his forearm. He looked up at her, this time not masking the fear in his eyes. Not replying, he simply wrapped an arm around her and hugged her to him, pressing his face into her vanilla-scented hair, closing his eyes to find relief in her embrace.

He was downright terrified for his tiny, helpless son in the hospital.

The two of them fell into a restless, dreamless sleep that night, still wrapped up in each other's comforting embrace.

* * *

"Eric!"

"Jackie!"

Two voices brought the teens back to the land of the living, and the pair looked up to see Hyde and Kelso standing in the doorway. The sun was shining in through the window, and Eric blinked rapidly to get rid of the stinging sensation in his eyes.

"What do you want?" he asked, voice muffled with sleep.

"Your mom wants you to get ready for work," Hyde responded harshly, his eyebrow still arched inquisitively from finding the two of them in bed together.

"Yeah, and she said something about Jackie helping her with errands today," Kelso mumbled in shock.

Jackie rolled over and looked at the clock while Eric grunted, "Are you serious?"

"Well, Jackie," Hyde smirked. Jackie knew immediately he was going to say something that was going to hurt her beyond measure. She was proven right the next second, "You had Kelso, me, and now Eric. You're almost done making your way around the circle. Now all you need to do is Fez and you would have fucked the whole circle."

Kelso didn't say anything neither did Eric. Kelso must have seen the hurt on Jackie's face. He had stayed away from the group since Eric had left for Africa. He knew that Hyde and Donna, sometimes even Fez were tearing Jackie apart just from the few visits he had made while Eric had been in Africa.

He now knew he was never in love with the raven, but he did love her as a friend and had a fondness in his heart for her. He had matured while he had stayed away as well, he was now back to being a police officer and when he wasn't on duty, he was on daddy duty to his little 'Betsy-boo' as he lovingly called his little girl. He was in a serious relationship with Brooke. Best part he had to say about that was the fact that he was in love with her and that he hadn't cheated on her since they got together.

He could see Jackie pulling herself together and knew she was going to brush off Hyde's remark.

That hurt her. What stung even more was the fact that Eric said nothing. In normal circumstances, Eric would have told Hyde that he took it too far, but he hadn't said a thing. She sighed as she calmed herself down. "I am _not_ doing errands today," Jackie said as she stood up. "_I_ am going to visit my _cousin _in the _hospital_." With defiant agitation, she stormed out of the bedroom to go talk to her foster mother.

Eric's head plopped down onto his pillow. "She's right; I'm not going," he told his brother and best friend, stifling a yawn in the process. The two stayed, eying Eric and then retreated.

It took Eric by surprise when he heard an "OW." that came from Hyde, followed by Hyde yelling, "Kelso, did you just frog me?" Kelso replied in the affirmative.

Eric managed to pull himself out of bed, tiredly dragging himself downstairs to find both his mom and Jackie engaged in a heated debate.

"I cannot do errands today with my own _cousin_ in the hospital," Jackie stressed, brown eyes narrowing at her mother. "_You_, of all people, should understand that."

Kitty continued mixing up so oatmeal as she glanced at her foster daughter. "Jackie, honey, there is nothing you can do at the hospital. You'll just be sitting there, waiting. He'll heal with or without you there, so you mind as well go to school to get your mind off of things and continue. You and Eric can go visit him after. Trust me, it's for the best."

Jackie through her hands up into the air and exclaimed, "_Ughhh_!" in exasperation. "Mrs. Forman, I _won't_ be able to concentrate at the task at hand."

"Jackie, you're going. End of discussion," Kitty said testily.

Setting her jaw, Jackie slumped back in her seat and folded her arms angrily. Eric, feeling awkward and not exactly knowing what to do, simply sat down next to her.

He didn't say anything throughout breakfast, which was unusual for him. Jackie ran upstairs to get ready for a dreadfully long day, and when she walked outside, she was completely shocked to see Eric standing there, waiting for her.

"You waited for me," she stated bluntly.

Eric nodded, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "I called the hospital up this morning for an update. They're still treating Luke…he seems to be the same, but at least they're feeding him through the IV."

Jackie's demeanor instantly turned bleak. "So he's…he's not getting better?"

"They didn't say either way, Devil," Eric said honestly with a sigh. "They're doing everything they can. I gave them my office number and told them to call me with updates. I'm going to keep it on all day."

Jackie nodded, fighting back the tears that were threatening to blur her vision. But she gave Eric the tiniest smile, grateful that he had thought of such things while she was foolishly fighting with her foster mother like some kind of bratty teenager who didn't have a sick son in the hospital.

"Tell me as soon as they call," she stressed to him as they slowly began their trek. Eric to his car and Jackie into the kitchen, waiting on Kitty to get her purse.

"'Course," Eric nodded, giving her a half-assed version of his traditional smirk.

He couldn't offer her anything more.

* * *

**Read and Review!**

**~Nim**


	11. Suspicion

**Disclaimer: See first chapter!**

The author would love to thank **nannygirl(Prissy)** for the lovely cover photo for this fanfic! **Prissy **has made my _A Marriage of Convenience and Survival_ banner and _A Handsome Mistake _banner. All Hail the Lovely Prissy ;) love you, girlie.

* * *

The next day found Eric and Jackie to be a bundle of angry in Eric's case and anxious in Jackie's case, nerves.

Donna actually had the audacity to talk about the stupid party that was taking place in Madison, while Jackie was worrying about her newborn son in the hospital. She bit her tongue to keep from lashing out at her once best friend during the morning.

Jackie groaned as she thought, _where was Eric when you needed him? _

It wasn't until about twenty minutes into their one-sided conversation when Donna asked about Jackie's "cousin."

"They kept him overnight," Jackie said sullenly. "He's weak and malnourished."

"Malnourished?" Donna repeated, dark green eyes nearly as wide as saucers. "Didn't you and Kitty _feed_ him?!"

"_We've been doing the best we can_!" Jackie snapped loudly, earning looks from all the other 'friends' around her.

Donna, taken-aback at Jackie's reaction, apologized quickly. Jackie merely nodded, expressionless as she rummaged through her bag for a book—any book—to read so she wouldn't have to listen to Donna stick her foot in her mouth anymore.

Focusing on her baby book that she had bought a long time ago, she began to read about teething when she heard Donna talking again.

"Can I borrow your nail polish? I need it because," Donna gave Randy a sly look, "Randy and I are going out on a date," she said, rolling her ballpoint pen in between her fingers as she looked at Jackie.

"I don't have any nail polish. I threw all of them away," Jackie stated flatly. No one knew the real reason why she threw the nail polish away except for Eric. It was part of her plan to stop being so high maintenance. That plan had started and gradually formed a few days before she left for the secluded home for pregnant teens then she had acted on it when she had arrived there.

Everyone, excluding Randy and Sam, gasped. "You _what_? _You threw them away_? But…you're Jackie Burkhart, you _al_—"

"I am sorry that you want me to never mature, Donna" Jackie growled, slamming her baby book down on the table. "I was in the _hospital_ because my _s_—"

_**Bam!**_

The sound of a door.

_**THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!**_

The sound of feet pounding heavily throughout the kitchen and running down into the old musty basement.

"Jackie!" a voice screamed for her just then, and everyone looked up to see Eric rushing over to them. Buddy was in tow, looking worried for his old friend. "The hospital just called. Luke lost another couple of pounds."

Jackie immediately burst into tears, feeling all hope fly away from her. Eric quickly pulled her into a hug, rocking her softly as they made a scene in front of the entire packed basement.

Just then Laurie appeared out of nowhere, "Eric! Jackie!" she yelled, "Come on I'll bring you two there now!" It was as clear as day that Laurie, too, was worried for her nephew. Looking at the other rodents that had always occupied her parents' basement, she mentally groaned. She knew them too well. It didn't matter that she barely spent time with them while they grew up in the basement. She knew it was a matter of time before Donna would try to get her brother back into her feminist clutches. And she knew the orphan was going to get pissed off when he found out that Luke was the product of her brother and Jackie. The only one that could possibly have a right to be upset was Kelso.

Brooke, who had been holding Betsy up against her bosom, gave Laurie a grateful look. The brown-brunette mother walked over to Laurie and said in an undertone, "Thanks! I swear Donna was just about to get her hair ripped out by Jackie." Laurie gave Brooke an amused smile.

She focused her attention back to Jackie and Eric.

"Why isn't he getting better?" she sobbed into his shoulder, and Eric looked up to see that everybody was staring at the pair of them. Helping her up from her chair, he wordlessly took her out of the basement and into the empty kitchen.

"They're going to run some tests today and to find out," he told her gently, his face slightly contorted as he tried to hold back his own pain. He had to stay strong for Jackie.

"I want to go see him now," she sniffled into his shirt and he nodded, feeling the same way.

"Let's get out of here then," he pulled back and gave her a light smile. He pulled away to call for Laurie and Buddy.

She wiped her cheeks and her nose, silently following him, her mind clouded and spirit broken.

Everyone else that was left behind were dumfounded as their best friends left without even a glance at them.

Hyde shook his head angrily, barking at the rest of them, "That's it! Forman and Jackie are hiding something about that kid."

Donna nodded angrily, "And you know what's worse?" she asked hypothetically. Everyone waited, except for Sam and Kelso. Sam didn't care for the midget.

Kelso had another reason all together. He was making sure Betsy was alright. She usually wasn't fidgety when she was taking a nap, but today she had been.

_Then again, she started to fidget when Big D started grating on Jackie's nerves,_ was the thought that went through his mind as he smiled at his little Betsy-boo, whose brown head was currently resting on his shoulder.

He combed his hand through his daughter's locks. Brooke smiled at Kelso and Betsy. They were brought out of sweet little family moment by Donna.

"What's worse is that Laurie...LAURIE...knows," Donna nearly screamed, almost waking Betsy up and pissing off Kelso and Brooke in the process. "Like she actually cares for Eric and the midget? I don't think so. When has she actually been there for Eric? When, huh? _NEVER_. That's when."

"And Buddy. Why the hell is Forman confiding in Buddy?" Hyde thought out loud for everyone to hear. Kelso could hear the jealously practically oozing out of Hyde.

Kelso had enough. He still had his goofball moments and his dumbassry going for him, but he had matured and he was just getting fed up, "Knock it off you two," he nearly yelled, but remembering Betsy and the fact that she was napping on him, he managed to keep his voice down, "Donna, it's none of your business what goes on in Eric or Jackie's life. You left them behind," Betsy mewled in her sleep, making the angry expression on Kelso's face die a little.

"Man, you can't tell me that you're not a little bothered by the fact Forman is keeping stuff from us?" Hyde barked at Kelso. Kelso shook his head.

"Nah, man! I know Eric will tell me eventually. But he, Jackie, me, and Brooke are moving forward in our lives, man. We're not staying mentally in the past anymore," Kelso growled out. "I can't keep being a goofball because I have a daughter to look after. Just like you ditched Jackie for Sam," he turned to Donna who was sitting on Randy, "And just like you were basically cheating on Eric while he was in Africa," he saw Donna and Randy to retort, "Don't even bother to deny, Donna. You started flirting with Randy wayyyyyy before Eric broke up with you in that letter. Why do you think everyone thought you were having a fling?" Randy stammered, while Donna had sparks flying in her green eyes.

Kelso got up from the couch gently so as to not wake his little Betsy-boo, "Brooke! We're going now!" Brooke didn't hesitate. She was smiling at Michael Christopher Kelso.

She was in love with him.

As she slammed the door closed, she heard Donna telling the others that she couldn't believe Michael had become a dominant, abusive pig and that Brooke got up when she was ordered to.

Brooke snorted as she thought, _As if! More like he finally saw you two for whom you truly were._

She smiled as she saw Michael holding the front passenger door open for her. As she neared him, he asked her if she was ready. She nodded and got in.

Her heart fluttered as butterflies swirled in her belly as he gently shut the door and got in the driver's side.

He started the car and reversed out of Red and Kitty Forman's driveway.

He had been driving for ten minutes before he abruptly stopped and parked onto a side street. Brooke looked at Kelso in confusion, "Michael, is everything alright?"

He turned to face her face and to her surprise, he gently cupped her cheeks.

Kelso was looking at her as if she were some type of angel of healing and nurturing, he whispered, "I know I don't let you know how much I appreciate you. And I know I wasn't that great of a father before I moved to Chicago to be with you and Bets, but I want you to know that no matter what happens between us," he sighed shakily as his brown eyes looked into hers with tears threatening to escape, "I will always and I mean always will care about you. And that I am so fucking sorry it took me a while to come around to the fact that I was going to be a father, but as I said, no matter what...I'll always love you," Kelso took his eyes off of Brooke to look back at his Betsy-boo, "And I will definitely always love her," he smiled fondly at his daughter, not knowing that he had made Brooke cry, "She will always be the one that is the number one person of my heart and my mind."

He turned back to Brooke, only to be caught off guard by the brunette launching herself at him and kissing him thoroughly.

She pulled back as she noticed they were both crying. Emotions that had been held in were finally coming out into the open.

She heard Michael gulp loudly.

"I love you, Brooke."

"I love you too, Michael."

* * *

Laurie managed to get them there quickly. Once there, the four of them strode up to the front service desk with determination.

"Hi," Eric said to the woman at the desk, not waiting for a response before continuing. "My son is an in-patient here and I'd like to know what floor he's on."

"Name?" the woman asked, unimpressed.

"His name's Luke Albert Eric Forman," Jackie replied, wringing her fingers impatiently as the woman typed it in.

"Eighth floor, up in Nursery B," the woman finally responded.

"Thank you," the two teens said, and took off for the elevator. Laurie and Buddy ran behind them.

"Why isn't the food fattening him up?" Jackie asked aloud as she and Eric waited for one of the elevators to arrive. Buddy and Laurie caught up to them.

"We'll find out," Eric told her, punching in the "up" button again with irritation. "_These damn things are so slow_," he remarked under his breath in frustration, glaring at the elevator door.

He could hear Buddy telling him to calm down, but he ignored his friend.

Eric demanded to speak to a doctor as soon as they got to the infant infirmary. Laurie was trying to calm him down,

"Luke's physician is busy at this moment—" the nurse at the desk began.

"_I don't care_!" Eric looked outraged, his eyes so wild that Jackie instinctively slid her hand into his. Feeling this, he paused, feeling a gentle rush of calm flood his body. Taking a deep breath and then exhaling, Eric now more calmly asked the nurse when the doctor would be free.

"I'll page you when he's finished with his patient," the nurse promised. "You four can go have a seat over there." She jerked her head to a row of seats nearby, none occupied.

"Can we see Luke?" Jackie implored, looking hopefully at the woman.

"I think its best you wait for Dr. Grace," the woman said with a regretful look.

Jackie's face fell, and before she could dispute this, Eric was squeezing her hand, steering her away, towards the chairs.

Buddy kept looking up and down the hallway to see if this Dr. Grace would be showing up any minute while Laurie sat down next to Eric. She had her right foot resting on her left thigh. Her nervous habits of jiggling her foot and biting on her stubbed nails were coming out.

"I want to see him!" Eric and Jackie insisted as they moved.

"Maybe they're right; we need the doctor there so he can explain what's going on," Buddy said quietly. He was afraid that Luke was even worse-looking than his friends had seen him when they left him yesterday. He didn't think Eric or Jackie could handle that, and it would be best that Dr. Grace was there to reassure them that their son was going to be alright.

Eric and Jackie reluctantly sat down in one of the chairs after this, knowing that Buddy was right. She gripped the arms of the chair nervously as she stared up at the TV screen on the wall. Some dumb soap opera was on, the volume soft so she could barely hear what the couple on screen were fighting about, but Jackie stared at the screen anyway. She wasn't really watching; she was simply just zoning out. She heard Eric get up and grab a magazine from a table in the corner of the room. Like his sister, he jiggled his foot apprehensively as he tried to read an article about ACDC.

It felt like hours before the nurse called over to them that Dr. Grace was on his way. Eric quickly put the magazine away, Jackie sat up a little straighter in her chair, Buddy stopped anxiously pacing in worry for his 'nephew,' and Laurie got up from her place next to Eric. As soon as the doctor was in their view, Eric and Jackie bolted up and rushed over to him. Buddy and Laurie not far behind.

"Mr. Forman, Miss. Burkhart," the doctor formally nodded in greetings.

Eric ignored the pleasantries. "What's going on with our son?" he almost demanded bluntly. Once again, he ignored his sisters soft chiding of his name.

If Jackie wasn't desperately wondering the same thing, she would have shot Eric a warning look for being so demanding.

But Dr. Grace knew that the two young parents were anxious, and didn't even flinch at Eric's impoliteness. "Well…" he began, letting out a huff of breath that ruffled his thick moustache."Quite frankly, Luke isn't doing as well as we had hoped. May I ask who the two other people with you are?"

"The blonde is Luke's paternal aunt and the black-haired guy is my adopted brother, who is also Luke's godfather." Eric said in an annoyed rush.

Buddy felt his insides warm in joy. Eric must have just decided naming him godfather. He was honored. Laurie winked at Buddy. Personally, she thought Eric and Jackie made the right choice. God knew Hyde wasn't being much of a help to Luke.

"W-why?" Jackie felt her face draining of color.

Getting back to business Dr. Grace explained, "The IV is giving him nutrients that he hasn't been getting, but he can't hold any of it. His stomach is very weak. He's losing weight rapidly. We've run some tests and found that he has a severe form of gastroenteritis caused by a _Giardia_ infection. The reflux problem he has been having caused an excess amount of acid in his stomach and activated a series of cysts along his digestive track," the doctor explained.

"What does _that_ mean?" Eric snapped. He wanted it in English, not doctor-babble. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Usually, this infection is curable with high doses of a mild drug," Dr. Grace continued.

"_Usually_?" Laurie asked softly, not liking the way he had used the word.

The doctor frowned. "Ms. Forman, Luke is extremely weak at this point. Even with treatment, we can't really determine the outcome at this point."

Laurie, Buddy, and Eric felt their mouths go dry. They knew what the doctor was getting at. However, Eric felt bile in his throat and the room starting to spin.

Jackie, on the other hand, felt the room begin to spin around her. "The outcome?" she asked, the word catching in her throat.

"I'm sorry to tell you this," the doctor said as gently as he could, "but you need to be prepared for the possibility."

Buddy and Laurie felt tears gathering in their eyes. Eric and Jackie could feel the bile in their throats coming up, the room was spinning, and felt their hearts stop in their chest.

"It could be fatal."

And out came the bile from Eric's throat and then immediately fainting afterwards, leaving Laurie to catch him. Jackie fell down, leaving Buddy to catch her at the last millisecond as she fainted without a sound.

* * *

**Read and Review!**

**~Nim**


	12. Tears, Pain, and Agony

**Disclaimer: See first chapter.**

**NC17 - **_**there may be a couple of squeaks ahead related to breastfeeding mothers**_

* * *

Jackie felt a cool breeze hitting her face first, and she willed her eyes to open. She blinked several times, adjusting to the bright light above her, and found Buddy standing above her, fanning her with a magazine.

"Are you okay, Jackie?" he asked worriedly, seeing that her eyes had opened.

Everything flew back to her, and she let out a strangled cry. "My baby!" she cried, bursting into tears. Laurie let the magazine slip to the floor and wrapped her arms around her thin frame. She couldn't remember her or her brother eating a thing since Luke had been placed in the care of the hospital.

In fact, she couldn't remember eating a thing _herself_, either.

"_Not my baby, not my baby_," Jackie repeated over and over through her tears, and Laurie rocked her gently, stroking her back in comfort as she let it all out.

Laurie turned to Buddy, "Where's Eric?" Jackie stopped her chant of 'not my baby' and looked at Buddy with a worried expression.

It took all he had for him to keep it together, himself. "It's okay, Jackie, it's okay. Shh…" he murmured to her, letting her tears soak his shirt straight through.

"Jackie, Eric's somewhere," Buddy put his arm around her. He knew where Eric was and quite frankly the young father was in a destructive mood, "He-he, huh, went puked then went into shock, and now he's hurting himself by punching the bricks outside."

Eric's silhouette popped in the doorway just then. Buddy and Laurie's eyes zoomed in on Eric's hand where his knuckles were gashed open that tainted the whole gauze that wrapped the bleeding knuckles up.

Eric sat down next to Jackie without saying a word.

"Why him?" she asked, her voice muffled as she buried her face in his collar. "_Why_?"

Eric had been wondering the same thing. Not having an answer, he just simply let her cry until she was out of tears and had exhausted herself. Physically weakened, she fell asleep, a mess in his arms, and he carefully laid her back down on the examining table in the empty room he had carried her into. Dr. Grace told him that they could have the room for as long as they liked, and sent them his apologies before he left.

Eric felt like punching the guy in the face, even though he knew that it wasn't his fault that his son was sick.

He watched Jackie sleep, her face displaying torment even in slumber, as he sat back in a stiff grey chair next to her. Buddy and his sister left to get food and then they would come back.

There was a knock on the door, and Eric looked up to see the nurse from the front desk walk in.

"How is she?" she asked, peering over at Jackie.

Eric glanced over with her, his eyes roaming over Jackie's sleeping form absently before turning back to the nurse. "Can I see him now?"

The nurse looked a bit surprised. "Uh… yeah, sure," she nodded. "I'll take you if you'd like."

Eric stood up, following the nurse quietly out the door.

Apprehensively, he walked down the hall, with each step getting more and more anxious. "Right through here," the nurse said suddenly, opening up a door. The room was filled with several of those incubators in a row, each containing a tiny baby.

"He's the last one over there," the nurse said, jerking her neck over to where his son lay.

Eric swallowed heavily, barely noticing a male nurse that sat in the corner of the room, looking at charts. He didn't rush over to the last incubator, suddenly unsure about seeing Luke, especially without Jackie there to lean on—to be strong for. Right now it was just him. And he wasn't sure how he would react all alone.

Finally arriving at the last one in the row, Eric to a step forward and peered into the incubator. There was little Luke, looking so much tinier and breakable than he ever had. One small arm was hooked up to two IVs, and he was also hooked up to a heart monitor. The machine next to him displayed his vital signs, and Eric noticed that his fever was still high.

He stopped at the infant's face, taking in his closed eyes and tiny nose and puckered lips as he serenely slept. Eric found it all begin to blur and didn't realize until he felt wetness splash down his cheeks that he was crying.

Laying his hands down on the glass, he cried as he stared into his innocent son's face. One that held so much possibility…

He wanted to teach him to walk, to run, to talk, to laugh. To tell him about women, about life, about the world. To see his first birthday, his high school graduation, his wedding.

And, looking up at the IV that was dripping down into his son's fragile body, Eric realized that all of those things, all of the dreams he had for his son, might not ever happen.

He stared through the glass at the best thing in his life, and cried like he had never cried before.

* * *

Jackie woke up with a jolt, her son's name on her lips. Wide-eyed, she looked around her at the empty room. Eric wasn't there, but she could guess where he was.

Not wasting any time, she hurried out of the room and followed the signs in front of her. A nurse directed her to where she would find her son, and, bursting into the room just behind the nurse, she stopped in her tracks. There was Eric, on his knees before their baby boy, his head drooping down into his hands. His shoulders shook as he sobbed loudly and in agony, uncaring who saw.

"Eric!" she called softly to him, rushing to him and falling onto the ground beside him.

"Jackie," Eric looked up, his face contorted in a mix of agony and despair. He placed his hands on each of her shoulders. "Don't," he shook his head, his lips trembling. "Don't look at him, Jackie. Don't look through the glass." He wanted to spare her from the grief, from the utter pain he was feeling stab his heart until it bled.

Jackie felt her heart tighten and a lump get stuck in her throat. "I-I have to," she shook her head quickly, backing away from his as she got back onto her feet.

Once she peered in through the glass, where their son lay, she realized why Eric had tried to stop her. He looked tinier than the day he was born, all soft bone and tissue. His small face pale, but still as innocent as always. He was sleeping, hooked up to several different machines surrounding him.

He looked bad. Really bad.

Sinking back onto the ground, her legs suddenly unable to support her, she let Eric pull him practically on his lap and the two of them cried together in the middle of the nursery.

* * *

Donna sat in front of Eric's house, usually she wouldn't have to ring the doorbell in the front, but someone locked the kitchen backdoor and had also locked the basement door, she was tapping her foot on the small porch as she waited for somebody to open the door. Eric and Jackie—had left work and house duties so quickly that earlier day, after the spectacle in the basement Eric and Jackie made about Luke in front of all of them, then running out with _Laurie and Buddy,_ and for the past two hours, she had tried calling Forman's house phone. All she kept getting was _nothing_.

Ever nosy and wanting to know just what the hell was going on, Donna had marched next door to the Forman home.

Laurie answered the door, with a pained expression on her face that quickly turned into pure hatred when she saw Donna.

"Hey," Donna said slowly, giving the Laurie, for once, an awkward smile.

"What do you want, you whore?," Laurie responded, not smiling back. Donnas' awkward smile faltered and eventually disappeared as she thought, _look who's talking you skankazoid!_

"Uh… is Jackie home?"

Laurie gave a short nod. "She's in her room, though. I don't think she wants company."

Donna cocked her head to the side with interest, her eyebrows furrowing. "Did something happen with her baby cousin?"

Frowning slightly, Laurie went to respond cattily that she found the red-head fucking stupid after seeing everything Jackie was going through with Luke and now had the audacity to act all concerned when she didn't give a damn in the past. When she went to open her mouth to respond when they both heard a voice ask from inside, "Laurie, who is it?"

Although the voice sounded somewhat strained, Donna immediately knew who the voice belonged to. She smiled. _Buddy_.

"It's just Donna. She's looking for Eric and Jackie," Laurie responded, not taking her eyes off of Donna.

Laurie could tell that her brother would be the one coming down the stairs instead of Buddy.

Eric then appeared at the doorway, and the smile on Donnas' face quickly vanished. She had never seen Eric like this before. His hair was extremely disheveled, his eyes red as if he had been crying. His face looked pale and aged, even though it had only been that morning when Donna and the gang had last seen him as his old self.

"Eric?" Donna couldn't help but blurt. "What _happened_?"

Eric looked down at Laurie, silently and softly communicating for her to shoo, and the wise sister gave her baby brother a concerned look, rubbed his upper arm soothingly, and then left without a word. He then turned back to Donna, a worn-out expression on his tired face. "Things aren't looking so good for Luke, Donna," he said carefully.

"Oh—I'm sorry," Donna said sympathetically. "Jackie must be a mess. Is there anything my dad and I can do to help out?"

Eric, whose thoughts were the exact same as Laurie's had been moments ago, held up a hand, silencing the rambling girl. "No, thanks," he said.

"Eric?" a gentle voice came from inside the house. "Who's at the door?"

Jackie then appeared at the doorway, her face blotchy and swollen from crying. Eric looked down at her, his expression instantly softening. She peered over at their guest.

"Donna," Jackie said her tone strange and sad.

"Are you okay, Jackie?" Donna asked, biting the inside of her cheek. "I'm sorry about your brother. If you want, we can talk. I can relate… when Tina was in the hospital when she was two because the doctors thought that she had whooping cough," she shook her head as the memory came back to her. "It was just awful how—"

"_It's not the same_!" Jackie practically barked, interrupting her ex-best friend, who instantly halted, taken aback. Eric gently wrapped an arm around Jackie, hugging his ex-lover from the side.

"Well, it—it kind of is, Jackie. I mean I—I didn't know if—" Donna began again, and Jackie's nostrils flared.

"It is NOT the SAME!" she exclaimed, bursting into tears again, shocking Donna completely. Eric instantly hugged her more tightly to him and the fragile raven wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face deep into his chest and letting her tears soak his flannel shirt.

"I'm so scared, I'm so scared," Donna could hear Jackie mumble and Eric responding by gently shushing her and rubbing her back tenderly. Donna had never seen Jackie and Eric act like this with each other before. It was almost like they were…

_No, _Donna inwardly rolled her eyes to herself for thinking what she was thinking.

"Jackie," Donna started, a little gentler this time. She reached out to pat her best-friend's shoulder. "It's all gonna be okay…"

"You don't know that," Jackie let go of Eric and pushed him away so she could glare at Donna, her face wet with tears and red with anger. "You don't know _anything_!" With that, she turned and fled, running up the stairs to her bedroom and audibly slamming the door.

Donna gaped at the sudden outburst. Eric focused in on Donna, his hazel eyes that had been soft while comforting Jackie was now hardened hazel orbs glaring at Donna, rubbing the back of his neck in agitation. His shirt was drenched from Jackie's tears. "Uh…maybe you should go, Donna," Eric said, not looking her in the eyes.

"No," Donna shook her head. "Jackie clearly needs somebody right now."

"I'll go talk to her," Eric said, surprising Donna. He coughed, masking his abrupt response. "Uh, you know, just because we're… kind of going through this whole thing with Luke together…"

Donna had never seen Eric become so cold and distant as he spoke. Usually he was twitchy. Now he seemed nervous and exhausted. Luke must be very important to him that was clear.

"But I can relate too," Donna insisted, pushing past Eric to actually walk inside the house after all this time.

Before the red head could make her way upstairs, Eric gently pushed her back, "Donna, she needs to be alone," he coldly stated, "Go to the basement, while you're ahead. Unlock the kitchen and basement doors."

Before the domineering red head could respond, Eric tromped upstairs to his ex-lover, who he knew was waiting for him in his bedroom.

As he made his way upstairs, he could hear Donna getting huffy as she rushed into the kitchen.

* * *

Eric entered his room to see Jackie under his covers.

_Naked._

He could feel his dick hardening. He let out a shaky, loud sigh to warrant off his, as Fez would say, needs. "What brought this on?"

Jackie blushed as she looked down shyly at the covers, "I-I don't know. Eric, I know I need something to take away the pain," she looked up and immediately wished she hadn't when she saw the dark lust in Eric's eyes. That look had always made her shiver leaving her with hardened nipples and goose bumps. She gulped that echoed loudly in the room, "I know it's..."

Eric cut her off, "Isn't there a waiting period for sex?"

Jackie nodded as she told him that the waiting period was usually four to six weeks, but if the body recovered early, that the mother can have sex, but it would better to wait till four to six weeks.

"And?" Eric titled his head down as he asked.

She smiled softly, "After we had an appointment for Luke, I had an appointment in the hospital at a later time. I'm healthy. My body recovered fast."

_Silence_.

Eric walked towards, taking off his shoes and socks along the way as he got under the covers to be near Jackie.

Behaving far more sweetly than he felt, he gently wrapping an arm around her waist and cradling her head, he kissed her properly like he hadn't done in a year.

"God, I've missed you," he whispered against her mouth.

"_Pleeeease_," she whimpered in response, tearing at his clothes in effort to get him naked.

Eric whispered, "You know we should probably take it easy at first."

"The hell with that," returned Jackie, wrapping her fingers around his dick, squeezing and pulling him to a full erection without mercy even as he was touching her gingerly, like he was afraid she might be breakable.

Eric growled low in his chest and pushed her, making her fall back against the bed. Running his hands up her legs, starting at her ankles, smoothing up her calves and scratching lightly along the outside of her thighs, he slowly moved his body over hers, licking, kissing and sucking at her flesh as he went.

Pausing as he moved over her dampening core to breathe in her heady scent but not stopping to touch, he touched his lips against her belly, nipping at her with his teeth and tickling her sides with his fingers.

"It's been so long, Eric," she whined, lifting her hips to press her body against his, feeling his dick make contact with her thigh.

"Which is exactly why I'm going to take this easy," he answered the strain of his self restraint evident in his voice.

Pushing his hands up her body, marveling at how smooth her skin felt, how wonderful it was to touch her body again, and letting out a soft growl when he reached her breasts. Kneading them softly with his fingers a little milk excreted out onto her nipples. He grinned wolfishly and dipped his head to taste, suckling her nipple with his hot mouth making her gasp and giggle at his antics.

"Er-ic! I can't believe you did that," she panted when he released her nipple with a wet smack.

"You have no clue how much I thought of doing that. And it's sweeter than I expected," he admitted, leaning down to nibble against her neck. Nipping and licking her soft skin, enjoying the sounds of her pleasure, he traced a slow, hot trail to her mouth. Rolling onto his back while keeping her in place, so that now she was over him, he let himself get lost in a fiery kiss that was going _somewhere_, finally!

Relaxing into the bed, he let himself enjoy her exploration. It's been so long since he felt her. Her lips left his mouth to bite and suck along his neck, one hand wrapped in his hair, the other exploring his body. She hadn't felt the firmness of his muscles under skin like this in a year, tracing gently along his body, teasing his nipples and then feeling the hard ripple of his scrawny abdomen under her fingers.

Eric growled contentedly, her attention was welcomed and definitely testing his will to let this reunion of them go gently. He worried about hurting her but that was almost entirely drowned out when her soft fingers wrapped around his length and squeezed.

Opening his eyes, he looked down at her, looking back at him with a determination in her eyes, that and lust. Waiting for him to look at her, she dipped her head, never breaking eye contact and sucked him into her mouth. His heart rate sped up instantly; the euphoric pleasure of her mouth combined with a whore's look in her eye on that innocent face was just too much.

She didn't want him to be gentle and was determined to snap the self control he had never before displayed. She wanted her ex-lover, the man who made her cry out to heaven and scream his name in that low throaty voice only he could bring out of her.

Moving so swiftly that it was a blur, Jackie found herself tossed back against the bed with Eric leaning over her, the hazel of his eyes pushed to the outer edges, his pupils glowing like fire. Jackie arched her body into his, a physical plea to make good on his lust, to fuck her like he meant it.

"You won't hurt me, I need this, need you...please, Eric...fuck me!" The last of his resolve disintegrated when the word 'fuck' passed her lips. Thrusting into her harder than he would have preferred, his hardened dick slipped into her velvet warmth.

"God, yes," she moaned, arching her hips to meet his thrust.

"Fuck!" he breathed, hot and damp against her neck. "So fucking good, so tight!"

Slipping back and then pushing in once again, he set a hard pace as her legs wrapped around him, her hands pulling his head to her mouth so she could kiss him as he fucked her.

It was like coming home but not quite as wholesome, a year of need pushed their way to the fore and neither could remember why they were supposed to take it easy. Slick with sweat, their bodies slid against one another, pelvises meeting in hard arcing thrusts, the friction and rough action forcing the pleasurable frustration that only drove them harder to their goal.

"Harder, Eric!" she begged.

Maddened with lust and a need to come stronger then he could ever remember, he lifted her legs up to penetrate more deeply and then leaned in, pushing her knees to her chest. Slamming into her body with power fueled by the adrenaline he was pumping, he fucked her with a ferocity he didn't remember possessing before this very hour. Never before had she felt so much like his, his love, his lover, the mother of his son, his cunt.

_HIS!_

His name passed her lips, a mantra of praise for how good he felt, how close she was. He didn't need her to tell him that, he could feel her cunt twitching, reaching his hand around her thigh; his fingers found her clit and twisted.

"Come for me, baby!"

Sweeping out across her body like liquid fire, her orgasm crashed against her body like a physical blow. She cried out his name in ecstasy, her pussy pulsing and squeezing him, sucking him in so deep, so hard he was helpless to do more than rock against her and cum, and harder than he ever had before. Her name passed his lips in a pained roar as he spilled himself deep inside her, every pulse of hers emptying him completely until he had nothing left.

Gently setting her legs back down on the bed, he collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily as his heart tried to regain control. Sweaty and damp, hair clinging to their faces they smiled at each other and shared a soft kiss. Rolling to the side, he slipped out of her, his limp cock entirely spent.

Rolling them away from the wet messy evidence of their union, they curled around each other as close as they could get. He listened to her breathing slow, felt her heart returning to a normal rhythm and just thanked whatever god there was for his ex-lover/lover, mother of his son, his Jackie.

Never once, in his wildest imaginings did he ever think he would be this happy, this content in the midst of worrying for their son.

Jackie laid her head upon the right side of his chest, smack dab on his sweaty nipple. Raising her arm to comb her left hand in Eric's damp, dark brown hair as hazel met brown. Both sets of eyes were glowing and a part of them felt lightened.

As he was looking into her eyes, he bluntly stated, "You know we're going to have to talk about us, right?" Jackie nodded.

"And when do we tell everyone that Luke is not my cousin, but our son, Eric?" she asked in an agonized voice. "He is the spitting image of you. He hasn't physically inherited any of my looks. Not my bone structure features, coloring. Nothing. All you."

"Soon."

He rose a little then leaned over her to kiss her gently.

"Oh, Eric."

A heavy make-out session ensued to take away their thoughts on their son, who was fighting for his life, but of course everyone is brought back to reality.

Little did they know that Michael Kelso had been in Eric's closet the whole time.

Kelso heard everything.

* * *

**So I am trying to make sure I balance these three current E/J fanfics I have going on:**

**A Handsome Mistake**

**A Marriage of Convieniece and Survival**

**It's A Cheatin' Situation.**

**Currently, I am thinking of putting A Marriage of Convenience and Survival on hiatus until I have A Handsome Mistake and It's A Cheatin' Situation completed. I promise I will get back to it after these two fanfics are completed. **

**Read and review!**

**~Nim**


	13. A Need to Hurry

**Disclaimer: See first chapter.**

* * *

As soon as everything in the clear, Kelso let himself out of Eric's' closet.

He was trying to make sense of it all.

_Luke is...Eric and Jackie's son,_ he thought woodenly, _when did this happen? How?_

Stepping down the staircase, Kelso went outside and soon found himself driving to his house.

He needed some time to think. If what he heard was true, he couldn't beat the living shit out of Eric. Luke needed his old man around.

Sighing, he stopped the car on a shoulder, and started to think things out.

* * *

Jackie couldn't stop the laugh that sputtered from her lips. It had seemed that the two of them hated each other—always picking on each other, starting fights, making each other's lives miserable. At first, it had been real. The hatred, the competition. But somewhere down the line, things had changed. Lines crossed and blended together. Fighting became flirting. On the outside, things looked the same from a third person point of view. But, behind closed doors, things had changed.

_Flashback_

"_You're the most conceited, arrogant JERK I've ever met!" Jackie screamed, stomping upstairs._

_Eric glared after her, hearing her door slam before he could make a witty retort. Red and Kitty were rolling their eyes at the dinner table, and Red scolded his son for being so insensitive to the Loud One._

"_Yeah, whatever," Eric muttered and placed his fork down on the table. "I'm finished."_

"_Good, you can go to your room and do your homework. No TV for you tonight," Red said, eyeing him pointedly._

"_Fine," Eric shrugged. Like that was some big punishment. He scooted out of his chair and took the stairs two at a time. Instead of going to his room, however, he went right into his room, where Jackie was._

_She was there, lying on her bed impishly, waiting for his arrival._

"Jerk_?" Eric asked, shutting and locking the door behind him before advancing._

_Jackie's brown eyes were teasing. "_Conceited, arrogant _jerk," she nodded, a playful smile gracing her features._

"_Ouch," Eric said, pretending to look hurt as he got onto her bed._

"_That's what you get for bringing up the whole basis of all evil thing," she shrugged unapologetically._

"_Don't be a poor sport," he smirked as he dipped his head down to brush his lips against the side of her exposed neck._

_Jackie let out a soft moan at the feel of his gentle touch, and let her eyes flutter shut as a shiver ran down her spine. "Oh, I'm hardly a poor sport," she replied breathily, slipping her hands under his shirt and easily guiding it over his head._

_Eric chuckled, leaning down to find her lips. "Midget devil," he teased, pressing her body down onto the bed so she was now under him._

_Jackie's eyes snapped open. "Hey!" she swapped him on the shoulder as she attempted to glare angrily at him._

_Eric let out a full-out laugh this time. "It's okay," he told her, his hand coming up to tenderly stroke her shiny raven hair away from her face. He pressed his forehead against hers, a smile playing on his lips._

"_You're MY little midget devil."_

_Jackie pitifully failed to stop the grin that tugged at her mouth. She gave him a good-natured eye roll, and snaked her arms up his bare spine. Burying one hand in his soft, messy hair, she forced his lips onto her own awaiting ones._

"_As long as I'm yours," she breathed as his lips strayed from hers to trail up her jaw-line. Then she felt her cheeks grow heated as she realized she had said that out loud._

_But Eric didn't seem phased at all by her words. "Mine," she heard him growl softly in agreement against her skin before reaching her earlobe and giving it a teasing nibble._

"_Mine."_

_End flashback_

She used to be his. They used to be each other's. Even when they were dating Kelso and Donna. Now they were separate. The only thing connecting them was their little son, whom they had made together. Baby Luke, who was in the hospital, growing weaker as each minute ticked by.

Jackie felt the smile on her lips quickly dissolve, and tears spring to her eyes for the umpteenth time. "Oh God," she choked out. "_What if he doesn't make it_?"

Not knowing Laurie was behind her, Jackie felt Laurie wrap her arms around her newly-acquired best-friend.

"Shhh," Laurie soothed, running her hand down the petite girl's back in consolation.

Upon hearing Jackie breaking down again as he left the bathroom, Eric quickly let himself into Laurie and Jackie's bedroom.

Laurie watched carefully as her nerdy brother, eyes only on the trembling raven, gathered Jackie into his arms without a word. Jackie sagged against him, her knees nearly giving way as she depended on Eric's strength—in more ways than one.

It was then that Laurie fully believed it all that what her brother and Jackie had was true love. The way Eric began whispering comforting words into Jackie's ear for only her to hear; the way Jackie held on to Eric as if her life was depending on it; the way Eric gently stroked Jackie's long hair; the way Jackie's sobs subsided instantly. It all became so painfully clear that Laurie had to wonder why she had almost doubted it before.

The two pulled away and it was as if they were the only people in the room.

"Do you want to go visit him?" Eric asked softly, his hand absently running up and down her arm relaxingly.

"Yes," Jackie nodded in response, wiping the tears away from her cheeks.

Eric nodded knowingly, and gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I'll go see if Buddy will drive us." He pulled away to leave, and that was when he seemed to finally notice that Laurie was there. He looked at her, eyes empty in a way that Laurie had never seen before, in all the years she had known him. Then he walked out the door.

Laurie's surprised, wide blue eyes looked back at Jackie, who had her arms wrapped around herself protectively and was staring at the floor, lost in thought.

And Laurie understood.

"Call me when you get back… you know, if you need a friend or if you need anything," she said as gently as possible, placing a hand on Jackie's shoulder.

Jackie nodded slowly, looking up at Laurie, the same empty expression on her face as Eric's had held. "Thanks, Laurie," she replied weakly.

Knowing that there was nothing else to do, and that Jackie and Eric needed some time alone, Laurie slipped out of the room and out of the Forman home, her outlook on the two infamous, bickering friends forever changed.

* * *

"The truth is… he's still not making any progress," Doctor Grace said regretfully to the young parents that stood before him.

Jackie's lower lip began to quiver. "Wh-why not? Isn't there s-something you can do?"

Doctor Grace frowned, looking back down at the infant's charts that he held in his hands. "We've been doing all that we can. Most of the drugs that we would use to treat something like this would be too harsh on his tiny body."

"Come on… there's gotta be something, Doc," Eric began, looking desperate. "I mean… you've seen this happen to babies before, right?"

The doctor nodded glumly. "I have. The final results, however, were never to my liking…" he tried to say it as carefully as possible.

"Oh my God," Jackie felt her legs give way again and Eric grabbed her, letting her collapse onto his chest, wrapping her up tightly in his arms as the world around her began to spin uncontrollably.

"_Oh my God, oh my God_," she repeated, her voice becoming hysteric as she began to hyperventilate.

"It's okay, Jackie, it's okay," Eric hurriedly hushed her, trying to keep his own emotions at bay as he looked up at the doctor pleadingly. "Please, Doc… there's gotta be something. _Anything_."

Doctor Grace studied the boy's frantic look, for the first time taking notice of just how young the two parents really were.

"There's an experimental drug," the doctor began slowly, not sure if he should really be doing this. "The results have been inconclusive… we're not even exactly sure if it actually works yet—"

"Give it to Luke!" Eric blurted before the doctor was even done explaining it.

"Mr. Forman… as I said, the results are inconclusive, and it would be a risk administering the drug to such a young, weak child."

"And what if you don't give it to him? What are his chances right now?" Eric asked, looking the doctor square in the eye, his defiant glare almost intimidating.

"Not very good," the doctor admitted.

"Please don't let him die," Jackie said, her voice muffled from Eric's shirt.

Eric looked pained as he heard the pleading words of the girl in his arms. He looked back at the doctor. "Give him the experimental drug."

"Mr. Forman," Dr. Grace began again, looking slightly exasperated. "You need to be aware of all the risks involved. There's a high risk of blood clots, of heart failure, of—"

"Give it to him!" Jackie demanded, breaking away from Eric's hold to look at the doctor. "Please," she gave a false look of bravery as she blinked up at Dr. Grace. "Please, give it to our son."

And Doctor Grace slowly nodded. "Come with me and we'll have you fill out the paperwork."

Eric began to walk and then stopped, asking the doctor, "Do we need of our sons' files? Do we need to bring some in?"

Doctor Grace nodded, "The standard stuff." Eric knew what that meant. Putting his arm on Jackie, who turned to him with bleary eyes, he muttered softly, "Go fill out what you can. I need to tell Buddy and Laurie to get all of Luke's medical records that we kept in files in my bedroom. I'll be with you in a second." Kissing her forehead, he left to find a payphone nearby.

* * *

As Laurie and Buddy searched Eric's bedroom, they quickly found it on the top shelf inside his closet.

The two friends ran into the hallway, down the stairs, and into the living room.

Buddy, who had the files in his hands, yelled, "Laurie! Hurry up!"

"I'm coming," she retorted, "I'm putting on sandals."

Buddy rolled his eyes, which thankfully, helped him. As his eyes were focusing he heard Laurie tell that she was ready.

They flew out the door.

Not knowing Luke's birth certificate had slipped onto the living room table.

* * *

**Read and Review!**

**~Nim**


	14. Eruptions and Waiting

**Disclaimer: See first chapter.**

* * *

_Flashback_

_Tears flowed freely from the girl's eyes, and she buried her face in her hands as her parents checked her out of the building. Jackie watched as the petite blond with blue highlights raised her head up and looked over at her and the other curious girls. Instantly, the girl burst into tears again, hiding her face from view._

_"What happened?" Jackie asked, not able to take her eyes off of the inconsolable girl. She remembered her from a few of her classes. She was fifteen and really far along in her pregnancy._

_"She had her baby," the girl next to Jackie said matter-of-factly. "A baby girl."_

_Jackie eyed the girl next to her, knowing there was more to the story. "And?"_

_"And," the compassionate girl clicked her tongue, and then shook her head sadly as she told Jackie the dreadful and heartbreaking news, "she didn't make it."_

_Jackie felt her stomach and heart drop at that. Looking back over at the sobbing blonde haired with blue highlights run down the hall, painful sobs erupting from within her, Jackie felt her heart go out to the girl. _

_Her arms wrapped around the growing bulge of her stomach. She couldn't imagine losing her baby… she was already so attached to him or her already._

_End flashback _

Jackie stared down at her twiddling thumbs as this memory hit her hard. Suddenly, it was like she could feel it. She could feel exactly how the poor girl felt that day, so many months ago in her bones. It was one of the most horrifying feelings she ever had felt.

She and Eric could feel their little baby boy just gradually falling away from their grasp.

She looked up as Eric came back, holding two styrofoam cups filled with water. He handed one to her and she took it graciously.

"Any word?" he asked, looking over at her.

She shook her head dismally. "Nothing." It had been over an three hours since the doctors had administrated the experimental drug on tiny Luke, and they hadn't told them anything since.

"Fuck, I hate waiting like this," Eric grunted in frustration, taking a long swig of the cold drink. It was her second cup of water, but his seventh. She could already tell that he didn't need any more, for some reason drinking the water was making him jittery. He was already shaky and wired, his legs trembling as he sat in his chair. He was already antsy, and the caffeine most certainly was not helping.

Buddy and Laurie who had stayed for a while, but then left, kept calling to sporadically. Eric and Jackie were so thankful for them in their life.

Then, Hyde had called the nurses station. Eric didn't want to have to explain everything to him, since now was not the best time, so he had just let told the nurse to use every excuse in the book to avoid talking to Hyde. Later, the two of them listened to Hyde's messages that he gave the kind nurse.

_Hey Forman , it's me, man. What the hell is going on with the little dude?_

The message choked Jackie up a little bit. Eric even seemed a little quiet after that, as if he was reflecting on the message.

"I never thought I'd say this, but Buddy is a better friend," Jackie commented quietly, not daring to meet Eric's eyes.

Eric surprisingly nodded at this, his head also bent down low. "Yeah," he responded, his tone just as quiet.

Another hour went by with no word. Waiting was beginning to become downright agonizing for the two teen parents.

"Why haven't they told us anything?" Eric growled in annoyance, slamming down his empty water cup. He stood up, knocking over his chair in the process. Not bothering to pick it up, he marched right over to the front desk.

The receptionist looked up at him expectantly.

"I want to know what's going on with my son," Eric asked through gritted teeth.

The pretty, young receptionist blinked several times. "Name please?"

"Forman," Eric sighed in aggravation. "Luke."

She typed something in on the computer. "Doctor Grace will be with you shortly."

Eric didn't look very satisfied. Without thanking her, he spun around and strolled back over to Jackie, who was anxiously fiddling with her long dark hair.

"What's going on?" she pressed as soon as he walked back to her.

"The doctor will be with us shortly," Eric rolled his eyes as he sat down. _Yeah fucking right,_ he thought in irritation.

Jackie sighed, feeling just as frustrated. She wanted to know what was going on with their son.

How was he doing? Was he doing better? Worse? The same?

Was he even alive?

_Don't think that!_ Jackie immediately chided herself. She looked over at Eric, who looked like he was ready to kill somebody if they didn't fill him in on what was going on.

Seeing his tense expression, Jackie impulsively reached out, placing a calming hand on his knee. It seemed to have the effect she was going for, as his face relaxed slightly and he sank into his chair a little more.

She left her hand there.

The clock ticked by slowly before, finally, Jackie noticed Doctor Grace approaching them.

"Eric!" Jackie quickly yelped, slapping him on the leg where her hand remained in order to get his attention. Eric quickly looked over and saw the doctor, and he leapt to his feet. Jackie was one step behind him.

"What's going on?" Eric tried to remain calm, but the bark in his tone betrayed him.

"We administered a low dose of the experimental drug," Doctor Grace explained steadily. "So far, Luke hasn't responded to it. We're going to give him a larger dose within the next hour."

Jackie bit her lip. "Has he been losing weight still?"

Doctor Grace nodded slowly. "Just a little more, fractions. We're keeping a constant eye on him."

"Can we see him?" Eric found the words blurting out of his mouth. He wasn't even sure he wanted to see the fragile newborn right now—he didn't know if he could handle seeing him like that again. But his voice spoke otherwise.

"Sure," Doctor Grace nodded. "Follow me."

Jackie crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself protectively as she and Eric followed the doctor into the nursery. Her heart began to sink when she saw his tiny body through the glass from across the room, a monitor next to him steadily beeping in time with the infant's small heart.

Dr. Grace excused himself, leaving the young parents alone with the tiny baby who was holding on to a string.

"Oh, Eric," Jackie cried softly, staring in through the glass at their handsome, fragile, sleeping son. He had even more wires attached to him, and a tube of oxygen going up inside his tiny nostrils.

Eric's heart broke at Jackie's uttered cry and at the sight of his son looking so weak and smaller than ever. He looked about the size he was when he had been born—or, at least, when Eric had first laid eyes on him.

The baby's little body twitched and he opened his eyes wide, staring up at his parents as if he had felt them near him.

A sad smile instantly broke out on Eric's face. "Hey there, Sonny Boy," he cooed softly to the baby, hoping he could hear him through the glass.

Jackie watched the infant peer up at his father, and felt her eyes fill up with tears.

"Your mom and I are really worried about you. We need you to get better, okay?" Eric continued gently. "We…" he trailed off, getting choked up. Jackie blinked back tears that threatened to fall.

"We love you so much, little guy. We need you to get better," Eric whispered, his voice wavering. And, along with Eric, Jackie let the tears trickle down her cheeks.

Eric looked down at the floor as tears dripped down his face. "I love him so much, Jackie," he whispered hoarsely.

"I know," Jackie stifled a sob, leaning over and pressing herself against Eric's body. He stood there numbly for a minute before letting his arms wrap around her, pulling her close to him, breathing in her scent and the essence of Jackie.

Dr. Grace came back to tell the two that they had to leave so they could administer another dose of medication on Luke. The two teens reluctantly left, telling Luke that they loved him and to hang in there.

Laurie picked them up, and, seeing their solemn expressions, asked if there was anything that she could do.

"No, thanks, honey" Jackie replied stiffly, still not able to stop the tears from continuing to seep out of her reddened eyes. Eric was ghostly quiet through the whole ride home. He went straight up to his bedroom when they got into the house.

"How is he?" Buddy came running up to Jackie, seeing as Eric wasn't going to give him and Laurie anything.

"Not so good," Jackie said, her lower-lip trembling as Kitty walked into the room.

"Oh, honey," Kitty gathered her into her arms. "I'm so sorry."

Jackie just nodded against Kitty, then pulled away, eyes downcast. "Eric …" she said slowly. "I've gotta go see if Eric's okay." With that, much to Kitty's surprise, who wanted to smother Jackie, she turned and ran up the stairs to Eric's bedroom.

"Eric!" Jackie called, knocking on Eric's closed door with all of her might. His music was full blast, and she couldn't hear if he had told her to come in or not. Not sure what to do, she simply burst inside.

Eric was sitting as his grading desk, staring down at the floor, big fat tears rolling down his flushed cheeks.

"Oh, Eric," Jackie spoke when he finally looked up at her. He looked away, embarrassed, but she wouldn't have that. She lowered his music so it was at a bearable volume, and walked over to him.

"Eric …"

"I'm fine, devil…" he sniffled looking away in annoyance.

"No you're not," Jackie said slowly, shaking her head. "I'm not either."

Eric glared up at her. "I can't lose him, Jackie."

She nodded feeling yet another batch of tears threatening to blur her vision. "I know."

"No, you don't," he grunted, furiously rubbing at his eyes as he got up angrily, marching over to his bed and sitting down.

"Eric …" Jackie began again, wondering why he was pushing her away.

"Just get out of here, Jackie," he said sternly, not looking into her eyes. He didn't want to see the pain in her eyes; he couldn't stand it any longer.

"No," Jackie said defiantly, setting her jaw. He was not going to shut her out now. Not now, of all times, when she actually needed him. When she needed him to be strong so they could help each other through this…

"Yes!" Eric growled, finally glaring up at her.

"Why?" Jackie asked softly, hot tears making their way down her face, getting the collar of her top wet.

"Because…" Eric looked at her, how pretty and broken she looked a beautiful tragedy.

"Because… I can't lose him, devil… not like I lost you."

Jackie blinked several times. "Wh-what do you mean?" she walked towards him slowly. "I'm right here, Eric…right here."

Eric shook his head. "No. You're only here because Luke's sick. Before this, we weren't even on speaking terms. You hate me, Jackie. I fucked up your life."

Her jaw dropping onto the floor, Jackie gaped at her lover. "Don't say that."

"It's true," Eric shrugged indifferently. "You hate me, you broke up with me, told me to go after Donna," Jackie's eyes widened, "when I was going to surprise you and tell you I was done with her for good, so I can be with you openly and we wouldn't have to hide, but you broke up with me and then told me to go after Donna, which I did for some reason, I pretended to be happy that I was with Donna, and I fucking literally had to stumble in the fucking basement to come to find you having a fling with Hyde. You let me find out for myself and then I'm the one who got you pregnant. If it wasn't for me, you would have never had to leave for that secluded home. You would never be going through this pain now…"

"Eric," Jackie interrupted; now standing in front of him, "I know we messed up. No, I messed up with us big time, but I love Luke with my whole being.

"Exactly. We wouldn't have Luke," Eric looked up at her pointedly.

Jackie looked stricken. "Eric … I love Luke. I would never give him up, not for anything in the world!" Her voice got higher as she began to shout, getting angrier and angrier.

"_And I love you!_" Eric yelled back at her, standing upright, just inches between them. "I. love. you," he said more quietly and forcefully this time, staring deep into her bloodshot brown eyes. "But you don't feel the same way." He gave a dry smile. "Such is life, right Jackie?"

With that, he left the room, leaving Jackie standing there, heartbroken and speechless. She never knew he had planned to finally be done with Donna when she and Michael had run off to California.

* * *

**Read and review!**

**I know everyone wants the rest of the family to find out and that's coming soon. Next we're going to have Kelso. **

**~Nim**


	15. A Blessing and A Fuck Up

**Disclaimer: See first chapter.**

* * *

After contemplating what he had discovered about one of his best buds and ex-girlfriend, he made the ultimate decision to still support them. He knew what Eric and Jackie were going through with Luke..._their son._

Still there were thoughts that were plaguing his mind.

_When did the affair start?_

_Did they cheat on me and Donna? _

_Did they ever stop their affair? _

_Why?_

_How?_

_When? _

_Was it when she was with Hyde and Eric was with Donna?_

_If she did cheat on me then she cheated on me with both of my best buds? What the hell, man?_

He had been spitting mad and trashed his car beyond recognition in his anger and hurt. Then he realized something, he hardly had the right to be mad at her if she cheated when they were dating seeing as he cheated on her so many times behind her back with Laurie, Pam, Cat, and plenty of other women. Hell, he ran off with Donna and quickly hooked up with Annette with no thought or regards to Jackie's feelings.

That didn't stop the hurt. He jacked around on Jackie, but she had gained a fond spot in his heart. He never wanted to see anyone else hurt her the way he had. It was why he was so fucking pissed off when he saw with his own two eyes Hyde coming out of the hotel room with that nurse. She tried so hard not to be Pam Burkhart. She was now cooking and cleaning without any type of complaint.

Then there was Eric. He wasn't stupid as he portrayed himself to be. He knew the gang took his friends compassion and loyalty for granted. He knew Donna wasn't suited for Eric. It's why he had asked Eric right after his nerdy friend had announced that he was going to ask Donna to marry him, if he was joking. He had been serious and to be honest he didn't support those two getting married. Eric was a modern thinker, but he was definitely old-fashioned type of guy. He believed a man had to be the bread-winner and the woman in the household, though he knew Eric wouldn't begrudge his wife having a job seeing as how his own mother was a nurse and a housewife.

He couldn't be mad at them. He would talk to them when he got the chance, but for now he would leave them alone. He couldn't imagine what they were going through.

Heaving a big sigh he picked up Brooke and Betsy and went back to the Forman's home.

* * *

Eric went to the bathroom and sat down on the closed toilet seat, raking his hands through his hair. He couldn't believe he had just said it out loud, had just confessed his true feelings for Jackie. What a horrible time to do so.

He was terrified to lose his little boy. But what topped that off was the fact that if his son died, he had nobody else… Jackie didn't love him. She would move on. She would have boyfriends and lovers and then a husband and probably even more children. But Eric knew that he would always be stuck on Luke, his relationship with Jackie, and what might have been.

And that was just killing him.

There was a knocking on the door, and Eric groaned.

"_Occupied_," he yelled through the door, rubbing his weary eyes with the balls of his fists.

The knocking continued.

With a grunt, Eric flung the door open wide to find Jackie standing there, her hands planted on her hips and her face twisted up in "pissed off" mode.

"Don't you _dare_ tell me how I feel," Jackie said in a low, angry voice.

"Devil, I don't want to hear this," Eric said tiredly. "Our son is in the hospital. He might not make it. And if he doesn't, then I have nothing left."

"You have me," Jackie said, her voice a little less seething this time.

Eric cackled a fake laugh. "Yeah, right," he scoffed. "You broke up with me, remember?"

"It was a year ago," Jackie threw back. "I was scared and confused! I was scared that you would want Donna. And I was confused about what to do. Everyone kept assuming you would chase after her. They had their expectations because you always went after her. I didn't know that you were planning to leave her behind and finally date out in the open."

"Well, I was in love," Eric shot back at her. "I still am," he said a bit quieter now, looking away from her.

"You're just saying this because you're afraid of losing Luke," Jackie responded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I am scared of losing him," Eric admitted. "Fucking scared to death, actually. But that's not the reason. I've been in love with you for so long, devil." He sighed heavily in frustration. "I just wanted me, you, and our son to be a family…"

"That's what I wanted," Jackie replied. "But since I got home with Luke you've been ignoring me like the plague. Until now, that is."

"I was hurt," Eric confessed. "And scared that I would make a shitty-ass father."

"You're a great father," Jackie immediately responded. She looked down at her feet. "I thought you were mad at me. Or that I…disgusted you."

"You would never disgust me," Eric said gently, holding back the need he felt to take her into his arms.

"I thought I was just another one of your '_girls_' that you would screw on the side when you were fed up with Donna," Jackie said bitterly.

"Never," Eric replied automatically. "It took me some time to realize this, but after that I always knew you were The One." Taking the risk, he gently reached up and cupped her right cheek. "Luke was conceived in love, Jackie… on my part, anyway."

Jackie didn't shy away from his touch. She looked deep into his dark hazel eyes and softly admitted, "on my part, too."

It took a minute for her words to sink into Eric's mind. _Was she… was she saying…?_

"I love you too, Eric," she said quietly, leaning into his touch.

Eric stood still as the words he had longed to hear echoed through his mind. Jackie found herself smiling as the old, geeky Eric who constantly stuttered when he was shocked shown through, "Are you… are you serious? Well that's just great, woman." he asked.

Jackie couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "Yes, you lovable twitchy nerd."

"Hey," he pretended to look wounded, but couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face.

Jackie leaned in and Eric wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly to him.

"Now all we need is Luke," he murmured gently, pressing a kiss against the warm skin at the crook of her neck.

* * *

The next morning, Eric and Jackie got up early to visit Luke and see how he was doing. Laurie and Buddy went with them, looking just as antsy as the two of them as they went up to the infant infirmary.

Doctor Grace came right out to greet them, a smile on his face.

"The heavier dose is working."

That was all Jackie needed to hear to break out into happy tears, and she squeezed both her friends and Eric.

"He's doing better?" Eric asked, a goofy grin spreading across his face.

"He's making much progress," the doctor nodded. "He's getting his food down and doesn't seem to be having any more stomach troubles. In fact, we're going to try manually feeding him now. Would you like to come in and see him?"

"Yes!" Jackie blurted, and the four of them followed the doctor.

Through the glass, Jackie and Eric could see their son. He didn't look so pale and weak anymore. His cheeks were healthy and rosy, and he was even moving around, kicking his legs and waving his arms in the air.

"Hi, sweetie," Jackie crooned to the baby, and Luke looked up at his parents happily.

"Hi, my little Sonny Boy," Eric echoed, a grin permanently plastered on his face.

A nurse came over with a bottle in her hand. "If he eats this, we can take him off of the IV," she told Laurie, Buddy, Eric, and Jackie matter-of-factly.

"Eat for the lady, baby," Laurie cooed at her nephew as Buddy smiled as his godson as the woman gently lifted the tiny infant out.

"Please eat for her, buddy," Buddy added, crossing his fingers.

They watched in hopeful silence as the nurse pressed the bottle against Luke's pouty pink lips. He pushed it away.

Jackie's heart fell, and Eric squeezed her hand in disappointment.

But the nurse tried again. And Luke latched on immediately, beginning to suck down the baby formula like he used to—fast and sloppily, just like how his father ate.

"Well, he's certainly a Forman," Laurie smiled as happy tears began to fill her blue eyes.

Jackie burst into happy tears, and she and Eric shared a long, grateful hug.

"Oh, thank God, thank God," Jackie murmured, clutching onto Eric's shirt as she cried happily.

"He's okay, he's alright," Eric responded, closing his eyes in thanks.

"Buuuurrrrpppppp!"

A loud burp resonated as Eric and Jackie broke apart to look at their son.

The nurse laughed. And baby Luke seemed to grin up at his parents, uncle, and aunt innocently, white formula all over his face as he leaned up to latch back onto the bottle.

"Hey, Eric. Jackie," Laurie spoke softly, "Why don't you two go get something to eat? You promised me and Buddy that you two would." Buddy noticed that Eric and Jackie were biting their lips and he understood.

"We just want to spend some alone time with our nephew. We'll get you if anything happens, okay?" Buddy pleaded with his friends.

Eric and Jackie had a silent conversation and when they reached an agreement, Eric just simply nodded and he wrapped his arm around Jackie's dainty waist, "We'll be back in an hour."

The nurse looked as if she remembered something, "Oh, the doctor wants to keep Luke here a couple of days more just to make sure."

The four smiled happily. Their little man would be fine.

"Alright, well we're going," Jackie told them. She leaned her head under Eric's abs. She was a short woman after all.

Buddy looked at the nurse, "May I hold my godson?" She looked at Buddy and nodded, telling him to wash his hands first.

* * *

Kelso, Brooke, and Betsy walked into the Forman's living. To their surprise, the living room was filled to the brim.

Red and Kitty were sitting on the couch together for once with Hyde and Sam sitting on the organ in front of the bench. Randy was at the other end of the couch with Donna on his lap, while Fez, surprisingly, sat in Red's pea green chair.

He noticed Brooke and Betsy were entranced by Sanford and Son.

Donna quickly ruined the peace by interrupting the show, "Where are Eric and Jackie? It's like they're never here anymore."

Randy couldn't help the feeling of jealous firing up in his body, "Why do you care? I'm sure he's fine." He did

"Where is the dumbass, Kitty? I haven't seen him the whole day," Red grumbled to his wife. He had noticed that had been losing so much weight lately and didn't seem to be sleeping all that much. Only to find that Kitty fell asleep.

"Why is Forman and Jackie hanging out all of a sudden?" Hyde instigated, "It's creepy, man. They make no sense and now they're all buddy-buddy with each other and Laurie of all people."

"I happen to finally be glad my son and daughter are finally getting along with one another." Red replied in a happy gravelly tone, "It's about damned time too. A man wants to die knowing his children will be there for each other not hurt the other...Steven." Hyde know that was directed at him due to his treatment of Jackie. "Besides, Eric is finally a man, why just yesterday he changed out the manifold when he noticed something was wrong with the Vista Cruiser and he's been helping the Loud One with her cousin."

Kelso freaked out at that, "Cousin...cousin...what cousin..." Noticing the strange looks they were shooting them, he calmed down as best as he could.

"Michael, honey, are you all alright?" Brooke worriedly asked Kelso, who nodded and snatched Betsy from her. Brooke smiled and shook her head fondly.

Out of nowhere, Leo walked into the living room as if it were normal, "Hey, man. What are you looking at that big box with moving pictures? It's freaky if you ask me."

"Leo," Red sighed. Great! Just who he wanted to deal with. Now all he needed was Bob. Noticing a permed 'fro heading into the living room from the kitchen made Red groan. Bob didn't give them his usual greeting. He plopped himself on the other chair in the back corner of the living room.

Bob spotted the, in his opinion, strange paper. He noticed that Red just woke Kitty and he was about to point out the paper on the table, but Leo walked over and as he picked up the paper, and then loudly proclaim in his hazy, vague voice, "Oh wow, man! It's some kind of certificate of birth."

"Leo! Give me that the Loud One most likely needs it at the hospital for her cousin," Red roared at the hippie, who looked at him with wide eyes.

No one notice Kelso freeze up and started to stiffen, becoming oddly stoic and protective.

Leo wouldn't give the paper back, "I don't know what your talking about, man? Loud Girl doesn't have a cousin. She has a son."

Kitty let out her high pitched laughed as Hyde tensed, Kelso looked protective, Brooke looked concerned, Fez looked like he was in shock, and Donna looked pissed off. "No, honey. That's Jackie's cousin."

"Not according to this document, man. Here, take a look!" If anyone had been paying any attention, they would have noticed the vein throbbing on Red's forehead and Kitty turning a pale shade of white.

Red grabbed the birth certificate as Bob and Kitty peered over his shoulders. The rest were in shock when Kitty fainted and when Red yelled, "That son of a bitch" as he slammed down the paper.

Leo, out of his short term memory, picked up the certificate once again and it was he who delivered the final blow to Hyde and Donna, "Oh wow, man! Eric and Loud Girl have a son together. See."

Everyone that hadn't seen or knew this little fact gathered around Leo and Hyde ripped it out of Leo's hands.

There it was in black and white.

**Last name: Forman**

**Middle name: Albert Eric**

**First name: Luke**

**Mother: Jacqueline Beulah Burkhart Age: 19**

**Father: Eric Albert Forman Age: 20**

**Place of Birth: Milwaukee, WI. **

**Place of Mother's Birth: Point Place, WI.**

**Place of Father's Birth: Point Place, WI.**

That was all they needed to see for hell to break loose in the Forman home.

* * *

**Read and review!**

**~Nim**


	16. Coming to Terms and Confrontations

**Disclaimer: See first chapter.**

* * *

Jackie smiled down at her son as he finished his bottle and began to contently fall back to sleep. It was early in the morning, much too early for anybody to be up, and yet Jackie was cheerfully awake, sitting on a chair in the room, holding her perfectly healthy baby boy in her arms.

"Did he drink it all?" a voice surprised her, and she glanced up to see Eric standing in the bathroom doorway watching her. She wondered just how long he had been there and how long he had been up.

"Every drop," Jackie whispered back so as not to wake the infant, and smiled up at Eric.

"Good job, Sonny Boy," Eric smiled at the baby, walking in closer to the two of them. He studied the peaceful infant sleeping in its mother's arms. Luke looked great! He had gained weight, gotten back his baby pudge, and was beginning to smile his usual gummy smile a lot.

"I should put him back in his crib," Jackie said, standing up. Eric nodded, not speaking as he followed her back. She padded towards the crib in the small hospital room, with her fluffy blue slippers on, and gently placed their sleeping son in his crib. She looked over, feeling eyes on her, and noticed that Eric was in the doorway, still quietly observing.

"He's asleep; you can go back to bed," Jackie gave him a soft smile. Not that it had been his turn to get up with Luke, anyway. She cocked her head to the side, suddenly curious. "Why are you up, anyway?"

"I heard you and Luke get up from the bed," Eric shrugged. "Just thought I'd wake up and see you two."

Jackie's smile widened. "You do realize that it's three in the morning, right Eric?" she teased, walking closer to him.

"I know," the corners of his lips tugged up into an amused smile. His eyes drifted down, drinking in the sight of her, and Jackie immediately crossed her arms over her chest shyly.

"Eric…" she began, her cheeks flushing. He was clearly checking her out. "I'm in my _pajamas_…" They were not the foxiest things in the world—blue-black flannel pants with gray woven in them and a matching top that buttoned up, revealing only a tiny sliver of skin at the top. She imagined that her hair was a mess. Thick and poofy. She made a poor attempt of making a bun with one hand while heating up(the nurses were kind to let her heat it up in their longue) Luke's bottle with the other.

"I know," Eric continued, the smile still playing on his lips as he advanced her. "You still look hot to me."

Jackie laughed at that. "Oh, _please_," she rolled her twinkling, tired eyes at him.

"Please what?" he arched one eyebrow teasingly, reaching out and sliding one hand under her baggy shirt to rest at her hip.

She shivered at the contact he made with her bare skin. "Oh…" she knew she didn't have a good comeback on the tip of her tongue. All she could feel was his hand against her hip.

He smirked inwardly, knowing exactly what he was doing as he rested his other hand on her other hip, and drew her in closer to him.

"Eric…" she began to protest, but it came out more breathy than she would have liked.

"Shhhh, don't wake to wake our boy up…" he whispered to her, leaning in so now their lips were inches away."Did you mean what you said the other day?" he then asked softly. "Still loving me?"

Jackie ducked her head as she shyly nodded, lifting her head she laid her head on his shoulder as she softly replied, "Of course, I did. I love you, Eric. Never stopped."

He tilted her head from his shoulder and kissed her, tenderly. Nipping on her bottom lip with his sharp teeth, then the tip of his tongue soothed the stinging burn he had caused with his nipping.

"Eric…" Jackie moaned his name this time, snaking her arm up his back and burying one hand in his hair, losing herself in the kiss. She never forgot how his kisses felt like. How they made love. How she easily got goose bumps from his hard and gentle caresses. How her knees nearly buckled when his tongue slipped easily into her mouth, deepening the kiss.

Eric pushed her gently backward until she felt the back of her legs hit the hospital bed and then the two of them fell onto it, their lips not detaching even once.

It felt like old times, with the two of them making out, hurrying to get each other's clothes off. But this time, something was different. Because as soon as Eric got Jackie's top off and Jackie had slipped Eric's pants down to reveal Star Wars boxers, there came a noise from across the room.

Luke was the one making noise. Eric and Jackie worried out of their minds, thinking something was happening hurried across the room. They peered into the crib, and were surprised to see that Luke was up, his eyes wide as he smiled up at the mobile above his bed, his hands reaching up as if he could touch it.

"Was that you, little guy?" Eric asked, puzzled. He spun the mobile around for him and Luke grinned, opening his mouth. And they heard that noise again.

It was Luke laughing.

"Are you laughing at us?" Jackie asked, smiling brightly as she heard her son laugh for the first time.

"I don't know whether to be offended or not," Eric whispered over at her, and Jackie laughed despite herself.

"Come here to daddy, my little Sonny Boy," Eric beamed down at his son, gently pulling him out of the crib. Luke gave a little squeal of laughter again, and Eric and Jackie shared a look of pure joy.

Jackie watched as Eric cradled their son against him, pressing a kiss against the baby's still practically bare head.

"When are you going to grow some hair like your old man?" Eric chuckled at the baby, running his hand through the few wispy strands of dark brown hair that the baby did have.

Luke squealed again, and Eric practically lit up at the sound. Jackie had never seen Eric look so completely… _elated and content_ before.

"You're happy, Eric," Jackie blurted out her observation, and Eric looked over at her, meeting her eyes, a surprised look coming over his face.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, pressing another kiss against Luke's head and then reaching out for Jackie, pulling her towards him and placing a loving kiss against her lips. When he pulled back, he gave her a very meaningful look.

Which Luke interrupted with another laugh.

"No more laughing for you," Jackie chided a smile on her face. "You should be sleeping, young man."

Luke grinned up at his mother, and Jackie could see the infamous Eric Forman smirk hidden in that innocent grin of his.

"Oh boy, I can already tell that you're going to be handful," Jackie shook her head, and looked up to see an identical grin on Eric's face.

Sighing, Jackie shook her head again. "Ohhh boy…"

Few hours later, Nurse Bouvard came in with a smile on her tired face, "Mr. Forman. There is a call for you. It's your sister Laurie?"

Eric exchanged a meaningful look with Jackie, wondering if something was wrong at the house. "I'll go. You stay and relax, find something we both like on the TV."

Jackie smiled tenderly at him, "I think _The Jefferson's_ are on. I'll put that on." Eric nodded and got up from his side of the small hospital bed.

Just as Eric left, Dr. Grace came in and gave Jackie the good news that Luke would be going home and that he had the papers being filed. He then followed up with a check-up and telling Jackie what to watch out for.

Eric, who had heard the exchange since the phone was right across from the room they were in, returned with a grimace on his face. Dr. Grace nodded to Eric as he left the room to sign the discharge papers.

She knew something was wrong from the look on his face, with no prodding from her, he explained to her what the call was about. It was Laurie. The call pertained how she and Buddy didn't know how, but Luke's birth certificate flew onto the coffee table when they were in a hurry to bring the files to them and that everyone knows about Luke being their son. As the story went on, Jackie's face grew paler.

"We better get Luke ready," Jackie looked at their son. Everyone knew the truth about him now. Eric nodded. They made the decision to go into the kitchen and try to sneak upstairs just for their sons' sake of needing peace.

Twenty minutes later they were driving home.

* * *

Everything was silent in the living room as everyone sat there, looking at the television. Red tried, but to no anvil, get everyone else out of his house but they were mad. The only ones that weren't mad were Sam, Randy, and Brooke. Kelso was just upset. Hyde and Donna looked as if they were having a conniption. Red was mad at the fact his own son didn't tell him about being Luke's father and Kitty was upset that her baby boy could keep something like this from her.

Red still couldn't believe the dumbasses spent the night in his living room, while Eric and Jackie spent the night at the hospital.

Eric slid door to the side as Jackie made her way into the kitchen while cupping Luke's bottom and head. He fell asleep on her shoulder when they got out of the Vista Cruiser. Seeing that the kitchen was clear they breathed a sigh of relief.

They walked together as one unit into the living room.

Hyde and Donna took in Eric, Jackie, and Luke. As Luke napped on his mothers shoulder, they noticed Eric's arm around Jackie's shoulder and that his fingers were gently rubbing his sons head, while Jackie leaned into them. They were flooded with anger.

Kelso's face crumbled. He truly did love Brooke and he loved his little Bets, but the knowledge that his other best bud and his ex possibly had an affair while he was dating her killed him. He knew he hadn't been faithful to her, but he did end up caring about her.

Fez was more or less upset at the fact that his American friend didn't feel the need to tell him that he knocked up his goddess. It didn't make sense. Didn't Eric and Jackie hate each other? Last time he checked they did. Ai! Why is Fez always the last to know?!

Randy and Sam looked gleeful as they took in the newly formed family. Randy never disliked Eric. It was the fact that he lived in Eric's shadow with Donna. But seeing him happy with Jackie made him relax and realize he had nothing to worry about. If Donna kept on pining for someone who didn't love her then that is her problem. Sam, on the other hand, knew her husband still loved Jackie and she knew at one point the raven had been pining after Steven, but that didn't seem like the case anymore.

Leo and Bob had been the only ones who left.

Everyone just looked at the new family, while the new family looked back at everyone. Kitty noticed Jackie practically shielding Luke from the heated gazes. While Eric, if it was possible, wrapped his other arm around Jackie.

Laurie and Buddy were looking worried.

Buddy walked towards Eric and Jackie. He smiled as he held out his arms towards his tiny godson. As soon as Eric placed Luke in his godfather's arms, he looked around, gave a frightened expression at the room, and then ducked into the crook of Buddy's neck. "How's my little godson? Ya hiding, buddy? Are you?" Buddy cooed at him.

"Forman, did he just say," Hyde paused as he tried to form the word needed, "godson?"

Eric threw a heated look towards Hyde, "Yeah, what of it?"

"What the hell, Eric!" Donna exclaimed loudly almost irritating Luke. "Buddy isn't supposed to be your sons godfather! Hyde is!" As she spewed her rant, she walked towards him threateningly. To everyone's surprise, Eric didn't twitch or stutter or even sweat. He just stood there with a pissed off expression forming onto his face.

Eric met Donna for toe to toe. "I really don't see how it's any business of yours, Donna!" He point to Luke, who was still in Buddy's hold, "_He _is." Then he pointed to himself. "_My son. _Get it. Not_ yours. Mine. As in I didn't make him with you. I created him with Jackie."_

"Why do you care anyway?" Jackie questioned her former best friend. "You were over him long ago or so you claimed." She wasn't even being catty, she was curious. She couldn't help feel bad for Randy, who was more suited to Donna.

Laurie surprised the Basement Gang by defending her brother and the girl she once hated. Turning to the group at large, she snarled out, "Quite frankly, I don't think its any of your business. Aren't you with Randy?" She turned to Hyde and Sam, "And didn't you pick Sam? You two closed your chapters with them a long time ago. So let it go. And Donna. Hyde. Before you two embarrass yourselves trying to hurt them. You two were never right for one another. I saw it coming a long time ago."

Red finally had enough. He wanted to know how his son and the Loud One came to creating his grandson. "Will you all shut up and let me speak?" He could see Kitty nodding her head in agreement. As he addressed Eric, he was thinking of ways to shove his foot in his sons ass for his stupidity. "Son, when did this all start? And how come we never found out?"

Kelso and Eric's gaze met and as soon as he looked at his friends hazel eyes...He knew Eric and Jackie had cheated on him and Donna with each other.

A lump had formed in Eric's throat and it was hard to swallow, "I-I-I'm so sorry, Kelso. We didn't mean for it to happen." Jackie looked at Kelso, pleading with her brown eyes to understand.

Kelso couldn't find it in himself to say anything. Brooke must have figured out what they were apologizing for. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. It seemed Donna had figured it out as well.

"WHAT THE HELL? YOU CHEATED ON ME WITH JACKIE? FOR HOW LONG?" Donna yelled in anger as Hyde took threatening steps towards his once best friend.

They looked at one another before Jackie told Donna in a soft voice.

Hyde stepped forward and before he could swing, Eric yelled, "When you and Kelso ran off to California together, I wasn't going to go after you. Jackie felt guilty and told me to go after you. And I did." Hyde stopped and looked at Jackie with a pained expression.

"Did you even like me at all, Jackie?"

Jackie nodded, "I did Steven. I was faithful to you. I swear. I fell in love with you and wanted to be with you, but I always had to press you to express your feelings. I know that's not you and I wasn't asking you to always express yourself to me. But an 'I love you' or 'I miss you' every once in a while shouldn't have been too hard."

Brooke, who had been silent, looked at her fiance, "Michael, why aren't you upset about this?" Kelso looked at Brooke with adoration in his eyes and he smiled. He thought carefully as to how he would word it.

He smiled, "Because I cheated on Jackie many times and even back then I knew she was just my safe bet. I care about her, but I would be a hypocrite if I got pissed at her for cheating on me when I cheated on her right in plain view and behind her back." Brooke squeezed his shoulder in comfort. "Besides I have actually moved on from Jackie."

Looking at Laurie, who had been watching the rest of the confrontation silently, she spoke, "Seriously you two shouldn't be mad. Yes, Eric and Jackie were at fault, but you two supposedly moved on. Be happy with the people you picked. Kelso has moved on, Eric and Jackie have moved on, Buddy has moved on, hell even I have moved on. Donna, I knew you and Eric wouldn't make it when the man-ring and promise ring debacle happened. Eric wanted committment, you didn't. He wants to stay in Point Place for the rest of his life, you don't. You've always been ambitious. Hyde. You and the midget always had trust issues. It wouldn't have worked out in the end." She sighed and giggled as she looked at her nephews scrunched up face.

Buddy, who had kept quiet, knowing this wasn't his fight suddenly spoke up, "You two weren't even there for Luke when he was at the hospital. Or any of the other times he was sick. You expect Eric and Jackie to name you two godparents when me and Laurie were the ones that were with them when they were having breakdowns and meltdowns and were at their wit's end? Really?" Meeting Eric and Jackie's gazes he told them that he was bringing Luke upstairs. He and Laurie went up the stairs to put Luke down in his crib.

Fez watched the exchange in silence due to shock and hurt. He still couldn't find the words to say anything. This whole revelation blindsided him completely and he was at a loss for words. And his slutty ex-wife knew about it too. He spotted Kelso getting up from the couch, slipping his hands with Brooke's warm palm. He, too, left to go into the kitchen.

"Well, me and the soon-to-be Mrs. are going to go," He told them. He wasn't mad. He was tired and he knew Betsy was going to get cranky soon, add the fact they had spent the night sitting on the couch makes for a sore back for Michael Kelso.

Brooke and Kelso went upstairs to retrieve their daughter from Eric's room. As they walked in they saw Buddy and Laurie laying on opposite sides of the bed with Luke in the middle, surrounded by cushions. Betsy was resting on top of Laurie, who was combing through Betsy's brown hair to sooth the cranky child.

Kelso looked at Luke. It was then and there Kelso asked himself how could he miss the fact Luke was Eric's son. For Pete's sake! His name was Luke that right there should have been the first clue he was Eric's son. Second, he was all Eric. None of his looks or bone structure resembled Jackie. Eric had been reincarnated!

He smiled and picked Luke up. Forgetting everyone else in the room except Betsy, he softly spoke to the infant, "Look at you, you little bastard! You are definitely their son. Let's hope you don't end up being twitchy and spindly like your old man though. Cause I gotta tell you, it was hard trying to tone down the man-pretty in me whenever your dad was around. It was the only way he could get chicks. Anyway little guy...You'll be seeing more of your Uncle Kelso, Aunt Brooke, and cousin Betsy." As he gave Luke to Buddy, he noticed everyone was staring at him with a 'really?!' disbelief kind of expression. Picking up Betsy, he walked out of his friends room with Brooke by his side.

He made his peace.

He just hoped they could overcome Hyde and Donna and that Hyde and Donna would find happiness with Randy and Sam.

* * *

**Read and review!  
**

**~Nim**


End file.
